Going for gold: first-year track and field standout joins Varsity Blues

First-year Rotman Commerce student Jade Lenton signed with the Varsity Blues in her senior year of high school with ambitious goals in mind. During her junior year of high school, she ran with the senior relay team to a gold-medal finish at provincial track and field championships, and claimed bronze in the individual 400m event. This past summer, she won the 800m and the 400m events at her provincial club championship track meet. Now with the Varsity Blues, Jade aims to earn a spot on the 4×400 and 4×800 teams and help the team run its way to the national championships.

“Some people call track athletes crazy because we love to run, but it’s not just the running that I love,” she said. “It’s having a constant, positive outlet to turn to on good days and bad ones. It’s seeing and feeling improvements in my body from week to week, month to month, and year to year.”

For Jade, celebrating small accomplishments and improvements is a central idea to measuring progress. She believes that facing a physical, mental or emotional challenge of any size is never easy and deserves to be recognized and celebrated. She defines success as a process of repeatedly overcoming obstacles.

“Success looks different every single day,” said Jade. “Somedays, success looks like getting a smile out of someone who’s had a rough day. Other times, it looks like a podium and a cheering team. But what each scenario will always share is overcoming an obstacle, no matter how small.”

She adds that learning how to enjoy and appreciate the small things is one of the standout lessons from her first month and a half as a university student. This realization aligns with some of her goals for her experience in the Rotman Commerce program, particularly those related to appreciating the community.

“As a first-year student, one of the things I’m most looking forward to at RC is meeting like-minded individuals,” said Jade. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with people who share similar interests and are keen to use creativity and critical thinking to leave an impact for the better on our society.”

Jade is also looking forward to expanding her academic horizons. She hopes that Rotman Commerce will provide her with key technical skills and conceptual views. “I’m hoping to leave university confident that I have the ability to see my ideas and dreams all the way through from thought conception to reality,” she said.

Looking ahead, Jade’s long-term goals include qualifying as an individual athlete to Canada’s national track and field championship and making the finals race.

October 21, 2021