By Derrick Smith

As a student journeys through the high school years of their life, they have people that influence them. They play a role, whether big or small, in who that student becomes. James Lane says that while he has had a few people that have impacted him, there is one person that has always been there for him.

“My mom is one of my biggest role models,” Lane said. “Because when we weren’t living good, she always made sure I was okay. And if something was wrong with her, she never showed weakness and I learned a lot from that.”

James is a senior at Nathan Hale High School, where he is a dual-sport athlete. He plays point guard for the Rangers’ basketball team, while on the track team, he runs the 100m and 200m dash. Lane also serves as co-captain of this year’s track team. 

Becoming the athlete that he is today is not something that just happened overnight for Lane. Instead, he had to devote himself to becoming the best he could be.

“I have put in a lot of hard work to get to where I am,” Lane said. “I have also had to stay focused and not get distracted by the things that do not matter. Just stay focused on the matter at hand.”

Walter B. Williams II, who is the boys track coach at Hale, says that Lane is a great kid with a solid future ahead of him. 

“I’ve enjoyed being a part of James’ journey over the last three years,” Williams said. “He is definitely one of three hardest working athletes that I’ve ever coached. As co-captain this season, he takes it upon himself to hold his teammates accountable. He leads by example and he pushes everyone to work harder than they did the day before. At the end of every practice, he tells his team ‘Let’s keep working on our grades because we’re students first, athletes second.’ I look forward to seeing him do great things at the college level and beyond.”