Bamlaku Douglas, better known as Bam, is a varsity track runner as a freshman. Last year he had broken the previous record for the four by four.
“My best moment in track this year so far was our second indoor meet for varsity, and got to meet a lot of new people. We were all super supportive of each other and everybody was running back and forth cheering each other on,” Douglas said.
Douglas runs with people from different grades, mainly upper class men due to being on varsity as a freshman runner.
“It’s only me and one other freshman,” Douglas said.
Douglas started track because his dad did track in high school and enjoyed it. He does football as well.
“We had a record for a 4 by 4 in middle school, although I do like high school better because it’s more of earning your spot and more competitive,” Douglas said.
To Douglas it feels like there is a desire to get better in high school track.
“A lot of my coaches also encouraged me to try track when I was younger, so I could get better as I’m older,” Douglas said.
Douglas finds a lot of inspiration from his mother and considers her as his role model.
“My mom was an athlete in high school, and she understands how tiring it is to be a student athlete while balancing academics,” Douglas said.
Douglas acknowledges that being a student athlete can be difficult to balance with academics, especially the pressure to be better at your sport.
“I would say being a student athlete is harder than it really looks, but what you do outside of practice like training, work, and family time… it can be draining. When you do bad on a test, it won’t just reflect on a grade but also your mind,” Douglas said.
Douglas handles situations through good schedule habits and creating supportive relationships, especially with teachers.
“I’ll email teachers, or go to them after class, if I don’t understand something. My favorite teacher would probably be Mrs. Stetter. She walks around and answers your questions, making sure she won’t leave you stranded,” Douglas said.
Another hobby Douglas enjoys is journaling, reading at night, and listening to music. He believes that it helps him relieve stress, by writing out his day and reading it back. His mom had given him the advice to journal and read.
“If I had to describe my mom in words would be role model. We go through a of the same stuff but I think she goes through harder stuff and you could never really tell. She never breaks down, she stays strong,” Douglas said.
Douglas looks up to his mom for strength, inspiration, and advice especially from understanding how it is to be a student athlete.
“She’s always focused on helping other people and helping us with our problems. She always tries to help me regulate and cope how I’m feeling when I’m down, or stressed,” Douglas said.
Douglas also enjoys college football and his favorite college team is Alabama.
“I usually make a bracket every time, sometimes I take it seriously but this year I had more fun with it.” Douglas said.
Douglas had plans to go to college for physical therapy in Florida. He wants to stay in sports but prefers not to do it his whole life.
“I’d like to run college track, because college football is such a wear and tear on your body, but I’d do track,” Douglas said.
Douglas prefers track over football due to season, friends, and less pressure. Douglas will always be an athlete at heart and looks forward to a future associated with sports.
