Atlantic’s Smith is Girls Track Athlete of the Year

Published July 6th, 2008

By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR

Atlantic High senior Stacey-Ann Smith was one of the best track and field athletes in her neighborhood in Connecticut, but she felt that to get a college scholarship, she had to leave home.

So a year-and-a-half ago, before her junior year in high school, she moved in with an aunt who lived in Boynton Beach, and Smith enrolled at Atlantic High.

Now, almost two years later, Smith has earned a college scholarship to the University of Texas, and she is the 2008 Boca Raton News Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

“I think it’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever done,” she said of the move.
This year, Smith placed second in the 200 meters at the Class 4A state meet, she was fifth in the 100 and she helped the 4x400 relay team to eighth place.

“I thought I had a pretty good year,” she said. “I wanted to break 24, and I did. That was a big accomplishment.”
It was also the culmination of a lifetime of hard work.

Smith got her introduction in the sport at an early age, as a 4-year-old in her native Jamaica. Her father Leonard, a former soccer player, would take her to the track and give her instructions.

It was on those tracks of her youth that Smith developed her love for the sport.
“The competition, that’s the biggest thing,” she said. “I used to hate practice, but as you get older you start to realize how much it helps you.”

Atlantic High football coach Andre Thaddies was also Smith’s track coach, and he became her mentor while she was in school.
Thaddies recalled the first time he saw her run, saying, “She had the technique, now it was getting the workouts down.”
All the while, Smith had her sights set on one school: Texas.

“I have always wanted to go to Texas since I was in eighth grade,” she said. “They were national champions.”
As with track, it was Smith’s determination that opened the door to her future.

She sent the university a questionnaire with her personal information on it her freshman year. Then, at the Penn Relays her sophomore year, she introduced herself to a Texas scout and performed well enough to attract interest.
Finally, after her second visit to the school, Smith was offered a scholarship.

With her future decided, Smith went back to her favorite part of the sport, competition.
She and Thaddies agree her best meet this year was at counties, where she upset rival Albreynia Walker from Palm Beach Lakes in the 200 and won the 100 as well.

“People were trash-talking to me, and then I beat her,” Smith said. “She used all her energy to beat me in the preliminaries. I got out as fast as I could and ran my best race all year.”
Smith turned in a blistering 23.88 for the victory.

And winning is a good thing for Smith, who Thaddies said hates losing just as much as she loves competing.
 “She expects if we’re in the races, we should win it,” Thaddies said.
That perfectionist streak has an obvious effect on Smith during meets.

“She’s a basket case on the track,” Thaddies said. “She can run a race and win by 20 meters, and if she didn’t hit her goal, you can’t talk to her.”

That passion has also rubbed off on Smith’s teammates in the 4x400, particularly best friend Takunia Carstarphen, who often trained with Smith.

In fact, it’s those girls on the relay team – and Carstarphen especially – who Smith said she will miss the most next year “because we got along so well.”

Next year Smith, who had a 3.4 GPA at Atlantic, will study law at Texas, saying, “I don’t plan on going pro out of college because anything can happen. In high school I put track before academics, now I’ve got to put academics over track.”