Kids & Family

Olympic Hopeful Encourages Kids to Work Hard, Follow Their Dreams

Jazmine Fenlator spoke with kids about the importance of perseverance at the Wayne YMCA last week.

U.S. Olympic hopeful Jazmine Fenlator told kids to follow their dreams recently at a special meet and greet recently.

Fenlator, a Wayne resident, is the pilot of the two-women bobsled. She and Lolo Jones, the track and field Olympian are ranked eighth in the world in the sport. They hope to compete in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. She spoke to kids at the Wayne YMCA Wednesday.

“You know that you have to work hard everyday to achieve your dreams,” Fenlator said. “Hard work and perseverance are very important. Work hard enough and you can do anything.”

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Fenlator also led the kids in various exercises and talked about how being physically fit is a must for any Olympic athlete.

Fenlator was named an athlete ambassador for the United State Olympic Committee’s Team for Tomorrow program. She donated laptop computers to the YMCA on behalf of the program.

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Fenlator, a Wayne Valley High School alumnus, has dealt with a lot of adversity on recent years. Her home was flooded in September 2011 when Tropical Storm Irene hit North Jersey. The family lost nearly everything. Her mother suffers from Lupus, a degenerative autoimmune disease, and is on permanent disability.

“You don’t have to be defined by the hard times in your life or your tragedies,” Fenlator said. “Sports has give me an opportunity to push myself beyond my maximum limitations. Records are made to be broken and sports is great way for that to happen.”

Editor's Note: For more information about Fenlator's story, click here.

 — Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. 


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