Airport 7th-grader shows rare talent for running
Travis Barnes knows athletes like Jayla Jamison don’t come along too often.
Barnes, the Airport track coach, continues to marvel at the success Jamison, who is a seventh-grader, has had this season on the varsity level.
The 13-year-old qualified in four events for this weekend’s South Carolina High School League’s track and field championships, which began Friday. She is one of 11 seventh-graders who made it the state championships in all classifications, but the only one qualified in more than two events.
Jamison won the long jump and finished in the top five in the 100, 200 and 400 at last week’s Class 4A qualifier.
“This is my 15th year being around high school sports, and I have never seen anything like it before,” Barnes said. “I had two boys on my entire team, who were both seniors, that could actually out run her in the 100 and 200. You don’t want to throw clichés around, but it is almost like once-in-a-lifetime type talent.”
Opposing coaches and athletes are impressed by Jamison and can’t believe when they find out she is a seventh-grader. Barnes said he had one, who has coached champion longer jumpers, tell him he thinks Jamison will break the state’s long jump record by the time she is finished at Airport.
Jamison is handling the attention and success in stride. She is soft spoken and has a charismatic smile.
But when she gets on the track, “I am ready to run against the biggest and best competition,” Jamison said. “I was excited and ready for this week.”
Jamison attends Pine Ridge Middle School and was moved up to varsity this season when the school district discontinued the middle school track programs. She is one of two middle-schoolers to make the varsity squad.
Jamison’s family got her into running when she was 7 years old with the Columbia-based AAU team, Jump Start. She comes from an athletic family. Her dad, Patrick, and mother, Felicia, were athletes in high school. Felicia Jamison ran track and played basketball at Dreher before playing at Benedict College.
Jayla’s brother, Patrick, ran for the Airport track team and is a sprinter at USC Upstate. He also helps coach his younger sister when he is at home.
“You can call him one of her coaches,” Felicia Jamison said of her son. “He is hard on her, but we are so proud of her. She is doing an awesome job.”
Jamison has dominated the competition this season. Other than last week’s state qualifier, she came in second in only one other event, the 200 in the Region 4-4A championship.
Jamison is likely the favorite in the 4A long jump, but both Barnes and her mother wouldn’t be surprised if she medals in one of the other events this weekend.
“We are going for gold,” Felicia Jamison said. “She has the times. It is just a matter of her stepping up and producing on the track.”