Coach Carter: Olympic Athlete

Coach Carter sports an Olympic tattoo on his right arm, and the inked on rings tell a story of athleticism, triumph and disappointment. During college he qualified for the Olympic trials, earning a spot in the Olympics by placing third. He made it to the Sydney games in 2000 and again in 2004 in Athens, placing fourth in the 400 meter hurdles both times. He was just 0.4 seconds shy of getting an Olympic medal.

Coach Carter representing Team USA

Carter explained that when he went to the Olympics the first time, he was happy being there, and even though he didn’t win a medal, he knew he was still young and could improve before the next Olympics. But “The second time around getting fourth was very frustrating.” Despite missing the Olympic podium, Carter won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships and won the USA National Championships three times.

During his time competing, Carter learned lessons that he now tries to impart on the track team at Jordan. One key lesson he learned was to, “Take each competition one at a time and never look at it as what it is,” meaning every event no matter how large is still just a simple race. Even when he was at the Olympics, he tried to see it as just another race, and he hopes to share this mindset with his athletes. Carter said that he loves being a coach, and for him it’s “a different way of competing against other coaches but helping [his] student athletes at the same time.” 

He’s had a huge impact on the program during his time at Jordan, and he said that, “This year we had over 120 show up for the outdoor season.” Additionally, athletes on the team have broken several previous school records, including Chase Hunter, Blake Lawerence-Johnson, Asher Holland, Xavier Perkins, and Jaleel Griffin.

Ninth grader Blake Lawrence-Johnson came to JHS because of Coach Carter, moving from north Durham to live with her Dad who’s in the Jordan district. “I knew Jordan had a great education and Coach Carter (who coached her in AAU track) was the only coach I was familiar with,” Lawrence-Johnson said. “He keeps me on my toes on the track and in school.” She’s not enamored with her coach’s Olympic success, but rather appreciates him for all that he is. “I don’t look at him as a coach. I see him as family.”