Seven-year-old Jason Smith asked his father what the rings of Saturn are made of. It was a question whose answer led to only more questions that had to be typed into Google. Jason Smith Sr. readily admits his son’s questions often drive him to research. It’s a typical weekday night in the Smith home.
Smith stands out amongst his classmates at Dade Christian School not only because he’s the tallest but because every day since pre-kindergarten he dons a bow tie as part of his personal uniform. The idea came to him after watching his father’s deft fingers pull a tie into a windsor knot in the mornings before jetting off to work. He wanted to be like dad, and he is like dad, and mom, in more ways than one.
The curiosity and precociousness Smith shows in his personality extends to his academics and his athletics. Earning straight-A’s his entire time in school, and reading at several grade levels above his own would be enough to merit praise, but it’s not Smith’s style to compartmentalize his intense drive for success to only one facet of his young life.
Smith has been officially training for the junior olympics under the direction of Coach Doreen Small Mercer since the age of four. Though he participates in the 400 meter long jump and mini/turbo javelin throw, his favorite event is the 200 meter dash. He finishes 200 meters in 38 seconds and is trying to get down to 32 seconds. Every time he passes the finish line he whips his head back to check his time. His tenacity rivals that of those three and four times his age.
After medals and recognitions in local races Smith qualified for the junior olympic team in his region for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and subsequently qualified for the state and for the AAU Track and Field and Multi-Events mini/turbo javelin throw. He placed at number 17 in the state among thousands and his parents had to remind him what an accomplishment it was when he fought back tears for not having broken the top three.
Fighting a cold and braving the 50 degree weather his South Florida sensitivities are unaccustomed to, Smith flew to Detroit for the AAU Junior Olympics in early August where he ranked at number 45 in the nation for the javelin throw, with his shortest recorded distance of 9.91 meters. He was disappointed but undeterred.
“I’m coming back next year,” he told his parents.
“I don’t know where he gets it,” said Smith’s mom, Shenika. “We encourage him and do our best to answer his questions. We limit his TV time and read with him, but that drive he has to be number one… that’s all him. We have to constantly remind him to see his successes not only his failures.”
Smith sees dedication firsthand in his household, where he does homework alongside his parents, Shenika recently graduating with her second master’s degree, and Jason Sr. attending law school. Shenika carries a calendar with her of Smith’s schedule: piano lessons, football, basketball, track and field conditioning, and more. The Smith family juggles the demands of meeting an intelligent and driven child’s needs and make it look easy. Many parents acknowledge it’s not.
“We are very blessed that he wants to work hard whether it’s handwriting assignments or math,” said Jason Sr. “We remind him ‘I can do all things through —' and Smith interjects to finish his father’s thought “through Christ who strengthens me.”
On his way to the 200 meter dash at the Olympics, Smith wants to become an astronaut. His lofty goals seem bewildering for someone who was born around the same time Toy Story 3 hit theatres. But when Smith weaves together his thoughts it’s astounding to witness. While watching TV one day he asked his mom if a black man has ever touched Mars. Surprised by the question she told him, no, not yet. He told her “then I want to be the first.”
The Smith family got up to leave at the end of this interview and the glass door slowly closed behind them. As Shenika readied an umbrella Jason Sr. stooped down, eyes level with his son, and despite the din of the rain and the glass that muffled his voice, his words still carried. “Jason, you did so well. I’m proud of you.”