Track & Field
Favorite athlete: Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce
Favorite team: Liverpool football team (soccer)
Favorite memory competing in sports: During my sophomore year of high school, I competed in the Kevin DareMemorial Meet at Penn State University. During the four-hour ride there, my teammates and I shared some hilarious and deeply meaningfulmoments. During our journey, we played games, laughed and sharedstories that eventually helped us to win together and takes losestogether with grace.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: During my junior year, my 4x100m team and I advanced to compete on Saturday with the professional and college teams during the annual Penn relays. After winning our race, my teammates and I took countless pictures and shared laughs, overcome with joy at our newest victory. There was one moment when all of us came together and struck the infamous Usain Bolt pose for a funny picture.
Music on iPod: Mostly music from the neo-soul, reggae, and hip hop/rap genres.
Some of my favorite artists include D'Angelo, Beres Hammond, Kendrick Lamar
Future Plans: I will be attending Bucknell University in the fall. I plan to becomean education lawyer and pursue my passion for education equality forall students of every age, race, and/or social class.
Words to live by: "The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, isinevitably the thing that will make you lonely." -Lorraine Hansberry
One goal before turning 30: To develop a program for young children living in developingcountries to receive the fundamental education that is vital for theirsuccess during the entirety of their academic life.
One thing people don't know about me: Before I fell in love with tack and field. I detested the idea of participating in sports. Mostly because I wasn't very athletic. However, after not one, but two growth spurts and after I grew into my body-so to speak- I became increasingly involved with sports and found track...the rest is history!
By GORDON GLANTZ
When Janiel Slowly failed to clear a hurdle as a track and field newbie at Cedarbrook Middle School, it left her with a battered knee and a resolve to keep on trying.
In many ways, the evolution of the Cheltenham senior – on and off the track – has been one of clearing hurdles that once seemed insurmountable.
“That fall (over the hurdle) is still legendary at Cedarbook,” she said, recalling how her knee was all “bloodied up” and how she was “one of the clumsiest students.”
Slowly and her family came to the United States from Jamaica when she was 10. Admittedly experiencing culture shock and homesickness, she tried a myriad of activities – lacrosse, field hockey, tennis, theater, choir, etc. -- in an attempt to find a niche.
“When we moved here, I saw I could get involved, and I blossomed,” she said. “I tried out for as many teams as I could.”
Ironically, and in spite of those inauspicious beginnings, she felt the most committed to the sport she shied away from as a child when her more athletic-minded friends raced on the streets of her Jamaican neighborhood near Montego Bay.
“My childhood friends had races in the streets, and I was always the last to finish,” she reflected. “I was scrawny and not coordinated.”
While Slowly was trying to avoid the arcane “stereotype” that she is Jamaican and therefore would be an instant track sensation in her new country, she was guided toward track by a seventh grade math teacher, Andrea Anderson, who was also of Jamaican heritage.
“I kept avoiding it and avoiding it,” she said. “I reluctantly went out for track.”
But there were hurdles, real and symbolic, for Slowly to scale.
And one spill served as a springboard to what has resulted in her becoming the captain of the Cheltenham girls’ track team, all-state accolades and the opportunity to run collegiately at Bucknell University.
“I didn’t want to quit,” said the Univest Featured Female of the Week, “even though I wasn’t performing the way my teammates were.”
As time passed, Slowly learned to focus more on herself and her own steady improvement, which was paying dividends by her freshman year at Cheltenham under coach Kelly Jensen.
“It became about how strong I can be today and less about having something to prove,” she said. “It was more about asking myself, ‘What can I push myself to do today?’”
Slowly competes and excels in a myriad of events – sprints, jumps (long and high) and some decorated relay units for the powerhouse Panthers – but considers hurdles, particularly indoor, her “strength.”
Talk about flipping the script and becoming the living definition of fortitude.
“When I was in middle school and first saw a hurdle, it was intimidating,” she said. “I could not tell you how many times I fell or tripped over a hurdle. When I do run hurdles now, it’s a good source of pride to go over those things that I once saw as intimidating.”
And when she looks at her battered, bruised and scarred legs, she is reminded that you are only as good as your next race.
“It has not been a smooth ride,” she added with a chuckle. “I have had a love-hate relationship with the hurdles, but mostly love.”
A Natural Leader
Slowly also has a unique relationship with Jensen, her high school coach. They sometimes clash over training methods – as Slowly will sometimes wants to practice until the sun goes down while Jensen wants a little fuel left her tank for meets and a lot of fuel for the big meets and postseason – but they have come to a place of mutual understanding and respect.
“I can't say enough good things about Janiel,” said Jensen. “She is a natural leader and is not afraid to do the right thing.”
Do the right thing.
Those four words mean a lot to Slowly, who knows she would not be where she is without the Cheltenham athletic department (headed by AD Scott Layer) and coaching staff, with Jensen topping the list.
“That is such a great thing, that he would say that about me,” said Slowly. “He sees a lot in me that I don’t always see in myself – not just as an athlete, but as a young adult.”
It is Slowly’s work ethic and willingness to be a role model that impresses Jensen as much, if not more, than her ability to win races.
“She is one of the hardest workers I have ever worked with,” he said. “She is always the last one out of the weight room and is always ready to show younger girls on the team technique, drills, hurdling or jumping skills. Janiel's teammates recognized her as captain of the team the past two years and accept her leadership.
“We have had tremendous success the past five years, finishing first or second in the (PIAA) State Championships, winning the District 1 meet the past two years and the league championship the past five years. While Janiel has been named All-State, she has not won an individual state championship like many of her fellow teammates, yet her presence is such that I don't think we would have enjoyed as much success without her leadership.”
Coming on Strong
Slowly said that when she became serious about track, she was held back by being “extremely scrawny,” and adds that people who see her know “could not believe how skinning and noodley-armed” she was before hitting the weight room, which she calls her “secret weapon.”
When she is need of motivation, she just digs down and visualizes the rewards reaped from pushing herself.
“The weight room is very important to me,” she said. “Those extra reps, they make you stronger, and can be the difference between a PR (personal record) or missing it by a millisecond.”
As far as being a leader, Slowly never envisioned herself as wearing an official title, like captain, especially for two years.
But that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t pay it forward to her younger teammates, who may initially find themselves overwhelmed in trying to achieve the same balance between athletics and academics and personal issues as Slowly has.
She has embraced the role with both chiseled arms.
“I did always see myself as a leader, but maybe more behind the scenes,” she said. “I didn’t see myself as ever being a captain, but now – being a captain twice – it’s kind of surreal. I still get to work behind the scenes but also have (the responsibility of) an official title. If a coach is busy, I can always take a girl aside. I take pride in being the best captain I can be every day.”
While she is a link in the chain of command from the coaches, the aspiring lawyer – a once shy girl who kept to herself and preferred reading and writing to racing in Jamaica – will voice her opinion.
“Janiel is not afraid to be outspoken for what she believes is the right thing,” said Jensen. “Even if I don't agree with her, she makes a strong argument and has the conviction to stick by it. I applaud her strength of character.
Explained Slowly: “I am outspoken. It’s something I take pride in. When something needs to be said, I say it. I guess if you want to be a lawyer, you have to be able to state your case.”
A lot of the debates are about her intense training sessions that Jensen may not believe to be at the right time and place.
In the end, Jensen’s decisions are final – and accepted.
“I want to work on as much as I can work on,” she said. “Sometimes, I would want to work until 7. It can be unnerving at times, but Jensen always knows best.”
Delicate Balance
One area that Jensen will show extra consideration is when Slowly needs space to achieve what she describes as a “delicate balance” between track and academics.
Slowly has been known to ask to miss a part – or all of a practice – and maybe even a meet of lesser consequence to hit the books, particularly in her Achilles’ heel subjects of math and science.
“She maintains a strong balance in her life,” confirmed Jensen.
Slowly explained how the balance comes into play.
“If I have to step back from a practice, or even a meet, for academics, I’ll go to (Jensen),” she said. “You don’t get good grades because you are a star.”
Jensen not only respects the choices, he knows that Slowly has the maturity to keep it all in front of her for the long-term.
“Janiel made her education her priority and knew she wanted to go to a university that would challenge her,” he said. “Bucknell University fits that requirement. She worked hard at succeeding academically, and when she needed to take time away from track to meet those demands, she always communicated and worked with her coaches to create balance between her athletics and academics.
“Janiel comes from a loving family that has supported her, while demanding excellence. Her mother and father moved from Jamaica when Janiel was young, and they have created an environment of success for both Janiel and her younger sister. I understand the move was difficult culturally, and fitting in for a young woman can be overwhelming, but Janiel has managed largely because of the love and support she receives from home.”
According to Slowly’s take, that is a spot-on accurate view.
“One of the most important things in my family is that academics are No. 1,” she said. “The reason we moved was to receive a better education. To put track ahead of that would be a step in the wrong direction.”
Despite her focus on academics and running track in the winter and spring, Slowly has taken her leadership skills into the school community.
“At school, I am president of BSP (Black Scholars Program) BSU (Black Student Union), the Communications committee that regularly communicates with adult school leaders, and I’m somewhat involved in student council,” she said.
All Good Now
The next “step in the right direction “will be Lewisburg, Pa., where Slowly will attend college and run track.
Slowly said she targeted Bucknell – along with other Patriot League schools and Temple – for its liberal arts program, which she sees as a foundation for her career goal of being an education lawyer, and was impressed with its smaller class sizes.
“The more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with the college,” said Slowly, who had a built-in backer for the school in Cheltenham assistant Adam Syty, a Bucknell alum. “It was the complete package for me.
“I decided to apply to Bucknell under ‘early decision,’ which is a binding arrangement with the school of one's choice. If accepted, the student must revoke all other college applications and must attend the school they've applied ‘early decision’ to.”
It is her own unique life experience that has led her down her clearly defined career path of a specialized field of law.
“I came here from Jamaica when I was 10 years old and I have been able to receive an amazing education,” said Slowly. “It’s time to think about the education students receive in developing countries. I can speak on that, having been a student in both environments. It’s where I find my passion.”
Although It’s been about eight years, Slowly vividly remembers watching wrestling on television with her family – her mother, Marcia; father, Michael; and younger sister, Monique – when her parents rocked her world with the idea of moving to the United States.
“They said, ‘What do you think about this?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not feeling it,’” she said, adding that she was “interested in visiting” (family in the US) and maybe seeing what snow looked like, but not moving.
“But we did move,” she continued. “It was hard at first, but I’m grateful for it. It’s all good now.”
But at first, not so good.
“It was very hard for me,” she said. “After the move, I asked my mom if I could move back. It was hard to adjust and adapt. I had a lot of resentment for the first year or two.”
But then Slowly became to survey her new landscape with a fresh perspective.
She decided to “use this new education,” from which she “took the opportunities” to “carry on that passion” to the present day.
And that meant picking herself up from the ground and clearing hurdles along the way, working until it all came together.
“I didn’t start to peak until my ninth-grade year,” she said. “I began growing into my body. I became more aware of what I could do, physically.”
As fate would have it, Slowly found herself on a state potentate.
“It’s been one of the biggest blessings I could ask for, being part of the women’s track team at Cheltenham,” said Slowly, adding that it’s “not just the accolades” as much as it is the bond with her teammates, calling it “one of the greatest things I could ask for.”
A religious person, who is involved in her church’s community service-minded youth group and sings on its praise team, she thanked God for having a plan for her, even though she began with doubts.
“I am forever grateful to be part of such a great team,” she said. “This team has been a significant part of my life.”
For her last go-around, Slowly is looking to “avoid Senioritis as much as possible” and toward events like the Penn Relays – where she will find herself competing against, and interacting with, runners from Jamaica.
“It’s like a home away from home when we participate in the Penn Relays,” said Slowly, who admits to still feeling “homesick” for Jamaica but doubts a visit there this summer, before college begins, will be in the cards.
Her immediate thoughts, though, are mostly geared to captaining the Panthers to the state title.
“Team-wise, we want to bring home the outdoor state championship,” she said. “That’s definitely what I would like.”
Her individual goals are more personal, and involve putting her journey into context before turning the page.
“Emotionally, one of my goals is that I would like to sit down and think about when I had no idea (about track),” said Slowly, adding that her mother is the “strongest woman” she has ever known and is her role model. “I can now see myself as an adult and young woman who is confident.
“When I found track, I knew it was something I wanted to do and grow into. Knowing it is my last year, it does get emotional. I want to be able to just sit back and think back to all of my experiences.”
