Destined and determined: Sophomore Anisa Willis continues to improve track skills with unwavering resolve

Participating in gymnastics and volleyball from a young age, sophomore Anisa Willis now plays various school sports, including basketball, flag football and track and field. She also still finds the time to balance school work with being an athlete. Encouraged by her family’s background with playing similar sports, Willis played volleyball and ran track freshman year before finding a deeper passion for track and field.  

“Last year I was one of the only freshmen (on the track team). It was kind of scary because everyone else already had experience on a high school level, but it wasn’t really that hard to adjust to keeping up with them,” Willis said. 

Willis started running track in seventh grade at Hilsman Middle School. One thing Willis noticed differences in was the level of participation from her teammates once she joined the high school team. Without the consistent presence of a coach in middle school, she says nobody was motivated to show up, causing a disinterest in the sport. 

“In middle school everyone was kind of just there. They didn’t actually want to do track. Either they did track because the coach told them to or because they wanted to stay in shape. But in high school, I see that people actually go far with running,” Willis said. 

Planning to stop playing other sports and focus primarily on improving her speed and jumps, after four years of track Willis has found her own style of running by doing what works for her.

“My mindset changed with triple jump. Last year I would jump, but I wouldn’t go through the full motion. But this year, I went through the motions of it and I actually tried. So I feel like when my mindset changed my running changed,” Willis said. 

While playing a number of different sports, Willis also gained first hand advice from her parents. With her mom being a former teacher at Cedar and her dad graduating from Cedar in 1991 as an athlete on the basketball team, they provide her with wisdom and guidance.

“My mama is a teacher, and she always told me that ‘if you’re able to maintain your grades you should be able to maintain anything else.’ So if you’re able to maintain one thing your mindset will be that you’re able to maintain anything else that comes your way,” Willis said.

Each sport has its differences, but what sticks out to Willis is the freedom and independence that come with track.

“I really just find peace in it now. At first I kind of just went out there as a joke, and now I’m taking it more seriously,” Willis said. 

After winning first place in the all-girls triple jump at the Loch Johnson Invitational meet at Cedar, Willis felt a sense of accomplishment with the progress she’s made. 

“There were things I could’ve done differently like jumping farther, but to win at our own track meant a lot because usually when people come to our track meets they used to beat me but now I’m able to keep up with them,” Willis said. 

Willis and the track team have benefited from the wisdom of their experienced coaches. As both coach Chester Rucker and coach Anthony Brown have led the team for over 20 years, they support members like Willis who are eager to learn and improve while reaching their goals. 

“Coach Rucker, coach Brown and coach Deedee (Devekeyan Lattimore) all play a good role. The days that you’re feeling down are the days that they push you the most, and they don’t let anyone fall into the, ‘oh, I can’t do this’ type mindset. They’re always there to push you up and lift you up. Or if you feel like they’re pushing you too much, they’re going to continue to do that because they know you’re going to end up working even harder,” Willis said. 

While Willis finds motivation in her family and friends, going to track practice and being pushed by her coaches also fosters a sense of determination.

“A lot of the days that we have to do a longer distance, they make sure that we get it done. They don’t let us leave, they don’t let us slack off or cheat ourselves. They know that cheating leads to not going in the right direction,” Willis said.

Junior Ky’Esha Gainer, Willis’ friend and teammate, witnesses her positive energy on and off the track. 

“She’s a good person. Some people on the track team will say they use her as motivation to keep you going through track, and sometimes I do too because she’s got that speed on her,” Gainer said. 

Willis has improved by taking direction from her coaches and using what they say as motivation to help her improve, gaining new knowledge and a sense of confidence . 

“Last year as a freshman, she would do well. She was just the type of freshman where one day you might have a good day, then you might get two good days out of her, or maybe three bad days and just vice-versa. She was always talented. She had a lot of shin splints last year so she was very weak. This year she’d probably outwork anybody on the team, boys or girls. She works just as hard as the boys team and now the girls have finally got to that point,” Rucker said. 

When Willis realized her athletic potential, she decided to take track more seriously.

“During my eighth grade year, I felt that I could actually go far with track. In ninth grade we had the same coaches, but a different head coach. I felt like they were taking it seriously, but I wasn’t serious. I feel like now we’re both serious, so we’re both going to be on the same page,” Willis said. 

Willis still finds a way to allow her warm and friendly personality to shine through, despite being focused on track. Not only does she provide a kind hearted sense of humor to the team, but she also motivates and encourages her friends to be better by giving them a pick-me-up to encourage them to work harder. 

“It depends on who she’s with, but with her friends she’s very funny. She’s literally a motivator, and with her friends she’s quiet. When I first met her, she was so quiet, peaceful and she mostly kept to herself. I love her personality, and I just want her to keep striving for the best,” Gainer said. 

The coaches encouraging the boys and girls to run with each other has created a sense of competition, causing Willis to increase her speed and stay on pace with the boys and making her work harder.

“I feel like when you see boys ahead of you it makes you want to catch up,” Willis said. “It helped my talent and also my mentality to just know that I need to get faster.”

As she continues to explore the sport and find her own style of running, Willis aims to set new goals for herself by devoting more of her time to track. While continuing to grow and improve she also hopes to inspire others to do their best and succeed.

“The main goal I have going forward is to jump farther, and also decrease (the times for) my 200s. I can accomplish that by staying humble and keeping the same mindset that I’ve had that has made me change in my times and my jumping. So I’m hoping to change my mindset a little bit more,” Willis said.