The future of South Florida track and field is looking bright as these freshmen are not afraid of the upper classmen. Freshmen dominating the scene include Symone Mason, Twanisha Terry, Kayla Johnson, De’Andreah Young and of course Daesha Rodgers. Some freshmen coming in were already running fast times in middle school and aren’t scared of any big meets as most of them have performed at the Junior Olympics where over 11,000 athletes compete from all over. Some have the privilege to start early and experience competition while others use their freshman year find out what would be there event. It’s very rare that late bloomers dominate as soon as the step out on the track, especially if they were discovered the summer before.
Karimah Davis is a freshman at Palm Beach Central High School and she recently started running for Fast Lane Track Club this summer. Fast Lane Track Club is known for its many top tier sprinters one of them being Erin Ford. By these credentials alone, this should tell us that Davis will definitely become a major threat in her remaining years in high school.
The freshman posted an impressive time of 59.30 at the Jimmy Carnes Indoor meet and came in second to Tamani Wilson of Maclay who ran 59.11. To show her progress, in her first indoor meet ever Karimah ran 1:02.76, it was only a month later where she went :59. With not many times in her flrunners profile many would overlook it and say she’s not a threat. Well let me say, you have to see this girl run before dropping any judgment. When she runs it looks effortless for her as if she’s been running for 6, 7 years like rest of us. Her personal best are 58.0 and 25.3 which she ran at the Hallandale Invitational.
Before track and field, Karimah played basketball as a small forward only for a year. Between track and basketball she says she likes track better and “basketball was just a temporary sport for me.” I later asked Karimah why she thinks she started running so late, she replied, “I didn’t know it was my God given talent until now.”
When I watch Karimah run, I can tell she has no fear as she steps on the track, she knows she’s only a freshman, but she won’t bow down either.
“I love competition. Regardless of how old they are,” Karimah explained. “The more competition the better you are.”
Karimah’s goal this year is to run :56 in the 400m, and I think it’s truly possible! With two seniors making it to state last year that automatically opens up two more spots to get in, and with Boyd Anderson moving down to 3A, it makes that chance all the more likely. In order to get there she’ll have to race the best of the best, Kendall Ellis and Erin Ford as they are the top two returners in that region.
As far as her season goes, Karimah tells me she’s been training non-stop in order to reach her goal and make it to states. As her collegiate future is concerned, Karimah says she interested in the University of Southern California as well as the University of South Carolina. Make sure you keep your eyes on this freshman, as she continues to go out and run towards the state meet. Karimah is going to shock a lot of people this season, athletes and coaches alike. Davis is the new kid on the block, and she is definitely ‘Under the Radar’.