Overbrook’s Ce’aira Brown taking aim at the 400 meters
Philadelphia’s Public League, also known as District XII, has molded many sprinters over the years. Juanita Broaddus, Joyce Bates, Cierra White, Shanae Bailey, David Collins, Chris Cobb and Ramaan Ansley are just a few names that may stick in the minds of those who talk about the district’s rich sprinting tradition. Overbrook, the “School on the Hill” has had a hand in producing many of these great athletes. Mention Overbrook track & field and you will hear such names as Jon Drummond, current head track & field Coach Deworski Odom, Tanqueray Hayward and the incomparable Toya Brown rattled off at the drop of a dime. Soon another Brown, Ce’aira Brown, could hear her name mentioned along with these Overbrook greats.
A district with an ever-failing athletics budget, lack of facilities and a limited pool of coaches have proven to be major hurdles in maintaining such a rich track & field tradition in many of the district’s schools. However, Ce’aira, a junior, along with Coach Odom, have been the catalysts in the revival of the schools once dominant track program, a program that nearly ceased to exist just a few years ago.
“We were not only running for medals, but for pride also” said Brown, in response to participating in her first Indoor State Championships in February.
In fact, Brown’s junior year has been full of firsts. This was the first year Ce’aira competed in the indoor capacity of track & field, achieving not only a seventh place finish at the State Championships, but also earning a trip to the New Balance Indoor National Championships where she brought home a fifth place finish in the Emerging Elite 400m Dash.
“Indoor Nationals was a great experience. Seeing national competition and to be there representing my school, family, teammates and myself was nice.”
Coach Odom sees a lot of potential in his star athlete.
“If she puts the work in, she can be one of the best [over]brook ever had on the girl’s side” says Odom via text.
Many argue that the quarter mile is the toughest, most grueling and feared race in all of track & field. This is not the case, however, or Brown, who’s been winning the one lap race since her 6th grade days at Lumberton middle school in New Jersey.
“She makes it look easy. She can win the State Championship one day if she puts in the work during the off-season.”
“The 400 meter is my favorite race. Winning my first race as a 6th grader made me realize I could be decent in track” says and exuberant Brown.
Brown never saw herself reaching such heights as a child. She was simply content on having fun going out knowing that she gave her best. Now she realizes that putting in the hard work to go along with that attitude can open up many doors of unlimited possibilities.
“My junior year experiences have had a big impact on me. I mean I’m winning races, making it to states, doing things that I never saw myself doing when I was growing up. My junior year has showed me how good of an athlete and a person that I could grow to be.”
Brown does see that her future involves another uniform in addition to her orange and black track wardrobe, as she plans to pursue a career in Nursing. In the mean time, she will continue to make her rounds on the track, putting in the hard work in hopes of lowering her current 57.74 personal best in the 400 meter with a State Championship title that she and her coach believe she can win.