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By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

Much like many people, sophomore Jiyai Parreott of West Forsyth needed someone to point her in the right direction as a child.

That person came to Parreott when she was a seventh grader at Meadowlark Middle School when Chelsea Dull, a social studies teacher and the track and field coach, suggested that Parreott try track and field.

“(Dull) asked me to join the track team. I was always interested in running because I always wanted to race people,” Parreott said. “So I did that and I was actually pretty good at it. In about eighth grade I ran with an AAU track team, Lights Out, and I got much better. So, I was ready for the freshman year of high school.”

According to Parreott, she was never involved in athletics in until she picked up track and field in middle school.

“I’m not really sure,” Parreott said of what appealed to her about track and field. “I just was always interested in like people running. I was like, ‘How are these people so fast? Does it just come to them or what?’  

“But I always was just racing people. I was always the fastest girl, track just kind of fell into that. I was just really interested in doing that.” 

Dull must’ve picked up on something from Parreott. 

“I always had energy,” Parreott said. “I was always with my parents. I was always with my siblings. I always just running around.” 

Parreott is grateful for the nudge. 

“I feel like it’s really important,” she said. “Actually, I feel like everybody needs somebody in their life that guides them or, not necessarily tells them what they need to do, but always have that support system and support team.” 

Other than her family and school she also had another avenue for growth. 

“I was involved in church,” Parreott said. “I go to church every Sunday. My parents are always in church. So, I’ve always had that church family. And I moved down here in second grade from New Jersey.

“Ever since then I’ve had a church family. I’ve always had that background, that support.” 

In addition to her parents, father Dorian and mother Carla, Parreott has two brothers, Jah, who is 15, and Jiyon, who is 13. 

“My brother (Jah) actually does track and football,” Parreott said. “He does basketball, too.” 

Parreott and her parents moved here from Somerset, N.J. while her grandmother and her brothers stayed in New Jersey with her other grandmother. Parreott quickly assimilated down here after moving from New Jersey. 

“It wasn’t that bad, actually,” she said. “I wasn’t in a head space of staying in contact with friends, having a phone. I was always just talking, just always in school, or going out with friends. So, I was actually able to adjust just fine down here.” 

Even though she is hundreds of miles from her two brothers, Parreott keeps in regular contact with them. 

“They always come down here, I’m always down there. We’re just fine,” Parreott said.  

Settled down five years later, while in seventh grade at Meadowlark, Parreott said she ran the 200-meter run, as well as the third leg of the 4×100- and 4×200-meter runs. Then, she said she moved to the anchor leg in eighth grade.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I always had something to look forward to at the end of the school day. I always looked forward to the competition. I always wanted to get better. I met new friends through track. I met my Lights Out program running with West.  

“I just had things to look forward to, things to achieve my goals to get to.” 

Despite being a novice to track and field, Parreott knew there was something there. According to Athletic.net, Parreott ran 30.11 seconds in the 200 in her seventh-grade year, which is the third-fastest time in school history.

“I always wanted to be better,” she said. “I always wanted to PR (personal record) at every meet. I worked to try and get better for it.” 

Despite showing flashes three years ago, Parreott was still green in the sport. 

“I did not know anything,” she said. “They were trying to teach me these different things. I’m like, ‘I’m just going to go out here and run. I’m just going to throw on a uniform.’ No.

“There’s a lot of techniques — high knees, everything. Being a leg in a relay team, it’s about teamwork, not just about yourself always. But it’s also a one-person game kind of thing. You just have to work and get better at it.” 

Even at that age, Parreott knew she was a sprinter.  

“Long distance I didn’t really enjoy,” she said. “But, sprinting, I was just always quick with it. I kind of just got more attached to it than long distance. But I did do cross-country with Ms. Dull (at Meadowlark). I did in eighth grade. I did track and she was like, ‘Let’s keep it going, do cross-country.’ I did it and never again.” 

Parreott continued to run in eighth grade at Meadowlark. According to Athletic.net, Parreott has the fastest 100-meter time in Meadowlark history when she ran 14.08 in eighth-grade year in 2023. 

“I did definitely feel like I was getting better,” she said.  

In eighth grade Parreott tried the 400.

“A lot of people say that 200 runners are good 400 runners,” she said. “I actually wasn’t that bad at it. So, I did that for a little bit. But my main events are probably the 200.” 

Parreott moved from Meadowlark to West Forsyth during the last school year, but she didn’t run indoor track and field.

“I’m not really sure why I didn’t run indoor,” she said. “From the summertime, I was still working with Lights Out, ‘Like that’s going to be too much.’ Then I was like, ‘No. I think I’m going to drop that and go just to school.’”

That plan worked for her. Parreott even met with Nathan Newsome, who was the head track-and-field coach at West Forsyth at the time. Newsome retired from West Forsyth earlier this year and is now the director and head track-and field coach at Salem College. Sean Joyce, who was an assistant, is now the head coach at West Forsyth. 

“I was still doing good, if not better, because Newsome was a really good coach,” she said. “I do miss Newsome.”

One other thing that helped Parreott transition from eight grade to high school was the open arms of some older teammates. One of them was Krisalin Coleman-Simon, who graduated last year. 

“I love her. That was my best friend on the track team,” Parreott said. “She was always looking out for everybody. She was always making sure I was OK, finishing the workout, making it strong because it was a transition to ninth grade because (of) harder workouts, longer practices. They want to put you up there.” 

According to Athletic.net, Parreott ran the 100 last year in spring track and field at 13.44, the 200 at 26.80.

“(Newsome) just told me I had to work at it. He told me that I was good, that I could do something with me running,” Parreott said. “He said I will be going places. And I really appreciated that. But he looks for everybody, and he makes sure everybody knows what they’re doing, everybody’s making the effort. So, he made sure that I was OK.”

Newsome last coached the track-and-field team at West Forsyth during the Central Piedmont 4-A indoor meet at JDL Fast Track earlier this year. 

“What in the world?” Parreott said of Newsome leaving. “It’s my second year here and he’s leaving. I just didn’t know who was going to be the coach, but Joyce stepped up. He’s filled in some big shoes. And he’s doing just fine.” 

She also ran the first leg of the 4×200 relay last year as a freshman at West Forsyth. 

“They always said I was good out of the blocks,” Parreott said. “I have no idea. I have no confidence in myself whatsoever with the blocks, but I guess overtime with practice I got a little (better).” 

Parreott did run indoor track this past season. According to Athletic.net, her PR in the 55-meter dash is 7.98 seconds. Also, her relay split in the 4×200 is 27.6, which is a PR, as well as her time in the 300 — 46.31. 

Running outdoor track and field last year as a freshman and running indoor this past season, Parreott is more seasoned as a runner this year in outdoor track and field as a sophomore. 

This spring season, Parreott has run the 200, 400, 4×200 relay, and occasionally the 100 and 4×100. She said her best 100 time is 13.34, 200 is 26.80 and 1:04 in the 400. 

The season is quickly coming to an end. The Central Piedmont 4-A championship is near, followed by the NCHSAA Class 4-A Midwest Regional on May 10 at Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw, and the state championship is scheduled for May 17 at N.C. A&T in Greensboro. 

“I feel like it has blown by,” Parreott said. “Eleventh grade is coming quick.” 

Even though she still has two more years of eligibility at West Forsyth, Parreott set her sights set. 

“My goal coming in was definitely to beat the school record (in the 200),” she said. “I wanted to get better. I wanted the coaches to push me. I wanted to have some competition on the team and at other schools. I wanted to work at it. I want to be more involved.” 

And just think, if Parreott hadn’t had Dull push her get into track and field, Parreott may have never competed.

“I really wouldn’t know what to do,” Parreott said. “I feel like I would just be bored, sitting around. I’m just glad I have something to look forward to and something to do. Something to occupy my time, but not just something to occupy my time because I’m doing something that I love.”