- 2011-12 Highlights
Personal Statement
My full name is Dante Calvin-Frederick Hill Price. I am a rising senior at Jefferson High School in West Virginia. I am a 5'4", 120 pound sprinter. I run the 100 meter, 200 meter, 55 meter, and 60 meter dash open races. My best times in these events are 10.61 FAT in the 100 meter, a 21.22 FAT in the 200 meter, a 6.48 FAT in the 55 meter, and a 6.94 FAT in the 60 meter dash. I also anchored my school’s 4X100, 4X200, and 4X400 relays teams from the 6th grade to 8th grade. In the 8th grade my team went undefeated. I anchored the Jefferson High School’s 4X100 and 4X200 relay teams as a freshman and placed second in both events at the 2010 WV state championships. As a sophomore, I anchored the 4X100 and ran the second leg on the 4X400 relay team placing second and first respectively at the 2011 West Virginia state championships.
I have accomplished a number of things I am very proud of. In athletics, I placed first in the 2011 West Virginia state championships 100 meter and 200 meter events. I went on to win gold in the 200 meter Emerging Elite New Balance Nationals Outdoor Championships in June 2011. I was named Co-Track Athlete of the Year by the Martinsburg Journal Newspaper and was ranked 1st team all-state in both 2010 and 2011. In March 2012, I won silver at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships in the 60 meter dash Emerging Elite division. At the 2012 WV State Championships I successfully defended both my 100m and 200m titles, anchored the 4x200 state champion relay team, and anchored the state champion 4x100 relay team setting a new state record. My goal for 2012 was to help my team win their 3rd straight state championship which was a success. In early June, I was invited to be on the NSSF team and competed at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While there I placed 3rd in the 100m dash and 2nd in the 200m dash running a 10.67 and 21.44 respectively. I went on to compete at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, NC on June 16th running a 21.25 in the prelims and placing 5th in the finals at 21.32 in the 200m championship division becoming a New Balance All American. I finished my 2012 season competing in the USATF Junior Olympic National Championships in Baltimore, MD July 25 - 29. During this competition, I set a new PR during the semi-finals of the 100m running a 10.61. I also set a new PR in the 200m finals running a 21.22. I placed 4th in the 200m finals and 5th in the 100m finals becoming a two time USATF All American.
The athlete I am today has more to do with my mind-set than with my physical body. As a young child, I was diagnosed with a learning disability which made my writing and reading skills below average. I had to attend special education classes in elementary school. I wanted to be normal so bad that I would spend hours on material that would take a normal child only minutes. Now people laugh when I admit I was in special education classes because they think I am smart, but the reality is that I work harder than the average person. My disability taught me that people start off at all different levels but the effort you put into a job makes the most difference. Once I understood this concept, I applied it in everything I do. Of course, all this could not be done without my support system from home. My mother taught me how to study and my father taught me how to focus on the field and be a team player.
When I started track, it was difficult at first because workouts were so grueling that I would often throw up. Hanging my head over trash cans as my body recovered, of course I would think of giving up or taking it easy. However, I did not let these thoughts hold me back from completing my workouts or even from continuing track. I use this as an example to show that I push myself beyond my mental limits in order to reach my goals. When I set my mind to something, I am positive that I can do it because my experiences with my disability have proven that I can overcome barriers. I do not believe in failure.
My most valued prize ever earned, though, has always been my GPA (currently 3.88), especially considering at one point I mixed numbers and letters. All these accomplishments are very important to me, but I do not want to be satisfied with just those. This is why I believe going to college and running track will help me continue my journey as an athlete and a young man. I would like to attend a school preferably in the SEC or ACC because the level of competition for sprinters in these regions is very intense. However, I am open to attending various schools in the country. I plan on majoring in Business Management or Engineering and am interested in schools which also offer a Master’s program in these fields. I would like to attend a school that has a great sprint coach and sprint team. I want to run for a team which I can contribute to and be able to compete. My realistic athletic goals are to be an impact on the team and run at the highest competition level as possible. School size does not matter to me nor does the geographic location of the school as long as it is not blistering cold.
Athletics and academic abilities aside, the absolute best thing I can offer of myself to your program and your team is my work ethic and commitment. In return, I know I will gain valuable experiences and lessons which I will carry into my adult life. Dante’
