SALCIA TIGHTENING THE “SLACKS ” FOR 2015

Salcia Slack (Photo – Getty Images)

Former Holmwood Technical High school athlete Salcia Slack, rode on the high waves during the 2013-2014 collegiate circuit for New Mexico Highland University and is now seeing the mountain peak bright and clear, after an outstanding season for her University and Country. Slack who specializes in the multi-discipline event, the hepathalon, have drawn inspiration from her challenges she faced in reaching where she is now and also from her son, whom she considers the wind beneath her wing.

Slack began shattering Jamaican youth track records in 2007 when she was just 17 years old. Speaking in an interview with the USA based, Albuquerque Journal in May 2014, she said, “When I was in high school, I was a little quiet person, my high school coach turned me into a monster.”

The former Maldon High standout who still owns the National Junior Record 5,411 points set at “ISSA Champs” in 2008, also represented Jamaica at the 2008 IAAF world Junior Championships in Poland,

She also revealed to the Albuquerque Journal, that she became pregnant at age 19, while on national duties. “I went to the World Juniors and I didn’t know I was pregnant,” she says. “I was in Switzerland and I fainted. I was four months pregnant.”

They harsh reaction that followed, she said was a little unbearable and it stalled her athletic career.

“Everybody started talking a lot of bad things,” says Slack, now 25. “It was very hard. I didn’t go out. I turned off my phone for four or five months. Afterward, I thought, it doesn’t matter what people think about me.” After I had my baby, a lot of people were talking a lot of stuff about me,” she says. “They mistreated me a little bit. I used that as motivation.”

Patrick Johnson, who became an assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands five years ago, coached Slack in high school. Johnson tried to persuade her to come to NMHU a couple of years ago, but she was not ready. Last year, she called NMHU and made the necessary arrangements and off she went. She recalled how the new environment was at first, during her interview.

“It was hard with the weather,” Slack says of her first experience in New Mexico. “I couldn’t breathe properly. Now it is getting much, much better. I think I’m way past where I was. I’ve improved a lot.”

Nevertheless the young athlete soldiered on and the rest is history. She copped victory after victory, broke record after record and won awards after awards during her first collegiate season.

Slack captured several titles during the last season for NMHU, including the Heptathlon victory at Rocky Mountain Athletics Conference (RMAC) Outdoor championships with a record score of 5,833 points , an NCAA Division II record for the heptathlon, beating the 5,807 points set two years ago by Lindsay Lettow of Central Missouri at the US National Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

Her list of awards for the season includes being named the USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year after she scored 5714 points to win an individual NCAA heptathlon title, and jumped 20-9 (6.32m) to win the long jump crown. She came back to finish third in the triple jump at 42-9 (13.03m). she was named USTFCCCA South Central Region Female Field Athlete of the Year.

Slack won back-to-back ‘Athlete of the Month’ honors in January and February during the 2013-14 indoor track and field season. Slack was also named 2013-14 RMAC May outdoor track and field Athlete of the Month, RMAC Championships pentathlon winner, NCAA Div. 11 Championship three-time outdoor and four time indoor All-American award, NCAA Division 11 2014 female field athlete and the Jamaica Intercollegiate Sports Association 53rd Awards Intercollegiate International Female Athletes of the Year.

She went on to represent Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland where she finished 5th in Women’s Heptahlon with 5718 points. She finished outside the National Record 6,527 points, set by Diane Guthrie in 1995, which she has on her target list and goals for 2015.

Slack who is studying Psychology says she wants to help people with all the stuff that she went through, using her experience as a testimony to her success so far. Slack who has endless love for her 5 year old son Bendray, was never deterred in her quest for success even when she learnt during her season that he was not living comfortable back home. However both will be reunited in September, as arrangements are being made for him to live with her at New Mexico.

But the with determination, dedication and her faith in God ,Salcia, like the mythical Phoenix, have risen steadily from the ashes and now seeks to tighten the few “slacks” in her career as she looks to explode on the international circuit in 2015.