Athlete of the Week: Jamarie Pierre, Horizon track and field

In his first season as a track-and-field athlete, Horizon football star Jamarie Pierre has capitalized on his explosiveness to trade in touchdowns for gold medals.


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If you’ve seen Horizon High football’s Jamarie Pierre sweep past defenders, you probably knew the junior running back was as quick as they come. But, in his first season on the Hawks’ track-and-field team, he’s shown that his football speed translates to the starting blocks.

As a sprinter in predominately the 100 -and 200-meter dashes, Pierre has won seven of his eight races in the two categories. These include a personal best in both at the Windermere National Invitational of Champions — a time of 10.90 (-0.1) in the 100 and a 21.62 (0.1) in the 200.


THE BASICS 
Age: 18
Sport: Track and field
Grade: Junior
School: Horizon High 


Q&A

How does it feel to be named Athlete of the Week?
It feels great, because it shows that my hard work has been paying off.

What do you like the most about track and field?
Being able to compete with a lot of runners at other schools.

What is your goal for the rest of the season?
My (personal) goal is to get faster times in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from track and field?
I’ve learned to be more of a leader by being an example of hard work and competitiveness to the younger kids who are looking up to me. Also, I learned that you have to keep pushing yourself — no matter what the circumstances are — and finish strong.

Who is your favorite athlete?
Barry Sanders, because he always worked hard and stayed humble no matter what.

What is your favorite track-and-field memory or accomplishment?
My favorite memory was going to the FSU relays and coming in first place in my heat of the 200-meter relay.

What is your go-to pre-meet meal?
I like to eat Haitian food; which is black rice and pork known as diri djondjon and griot in Creole.

What is your favorite non-sports hobby?
I like to invest my money in stocks.

What is your favorite subject in school?
I like biology, because one day, I would like to become a radiologist, like my dad.

What are three things you would take with you to a deserted island?
Matches, a pot and a tent, because I’m going to need the matches and pot to cook in and the tent to sleep in, so I won’t get cold when it gets dark at night.

What is your favorite movie and why?
“Friday After Next,” because it was funny that Santa Claus kept robbing people and stealing all their presents, while Mike Epps and Ice Cube were trying to catch him, and he kept getting away.

If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?
I would probably say Elon Musk, because I want to know how he makes so much money.

If you could go back in time to a specific period in history, when and where would you go?
I would go back to 1962 to see if Wilt Chamberlain actually scored 100 points in a game.

Looking back, what piece of advice would you give your younger self?
No matter what, always stay positive and follow your dreams.

If you could ask your future self a question, what would it be?
Did I make it pro?

Who is your favorite superhero?
The Flash, because he’s fast, and I’m fast.

Who is your favorite supervillain? Why?
John Wick, because no one can beat him, just like they can’t beat me.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Read minds, because I can use it to become wealthy. 

If you could travel to three places in the world, where would you go and why?
I would like to go to Haiti, Dubai and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I would like to see how nice the beaches are.

If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be and why?
A giraffe; I want to see what it looks like from that high up. 

What is your most controversial food take?
People shouldn’t put strawberries on waffles.

Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Oh noooooo!


Sam Albuquerque is the Sports Editor for the Orange Observer. Please contact him with story ideas, results and statistics.

 Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @SamBAlbuquerque

Instagram: @OrangeObserverSam


 

author

Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.

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