Fulfilling Dreams

WRITTEN BY Dominique Scott-Efurd

I’ve had two dreams since I was a little girl: To be awarded a scholarship to run and study in the United States and to represent South Africa in the Olympics.

Thanks to the Arkansas Razorbacks, I’ve been able to fulfill both of those dreams.

When I arrived in Fayetteville five years ago as a freshman, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Three days before I left Cape Town, I was pretty nervous about leaving my home. My mom told me, “Four or five years seems like a long time now, but once you’re my age, five years is nothing. You need to take this leap of faith and commit to five years in the United States.”

Dom

And she was right. Five years have flown by and now I look back and wonder where all those years went.

It’s tough coming into a very distinguished Division I program as a freshman and being expected to score points. At the time, coming from a different continent, I didn’t even know what the SEC stood for so I definitely had a lot to learn during my freshman year.

I was also very motivated because there were so many great seniors in the team. I wanted to get to their level and prove myself worthy of my scholarship to coach Lance Harter and the rest of my teammates. Unfortunately, I got hurt during my sophomore year. During that time, I realized how much I love running and how I wanted to continue to live out this dream. Ever since my injuries during sophomore year, each season has been building on top of each other. To be able to say I’ve been a five-time national champion and been a part of two national championship teams for the Arkansas Razorbacks is incredible … I’ve truly been blessed during my time as a Razorback.

If you would’ve told me all of this five years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Now that I’m starting to pursue a professional athletics career, I look back to my time as a Razorback and I can clearly see how good we had it here in Fayetteville. Certain aspects of our lives as student-athletes were handed to us on a silver platter. For example, when we traveled, all we had to do was pack our suitcase and get to the bus on time.

Dom

But when you have to do all of this yourself, it’s not that easy or simple. You have to get yourself entered into meets, book your own flights, figure out huge airports and navigate the streets of an unfamiliar town. We were definitely looked after well at Arkansas. I wish I had appreciated it more during the time.

Even the dining facility in the Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Center was designed to make our lives as student-athletes easier. Now I’ll have to do my own meal prep, grocery shopping, nutrition planning and cooking. Having had a resource like the Jones Success Center on campus was amazing!

Dom

My most memorable moment as a Razorback was during the 2015 indoor season when I won the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships for the 3000-meter run and was told during my interview with ESPN that my 10 points just secured the NCAA Championship team title for the Razorback Women’s Track and Field team. I was filled with so much emotion.

When coach Harter embraced me when I got off the track, I will never forget that moment. It was a time of so much joy for the two of us. Even though I was the one on the track, coach Harter puts in a lot of time and effort in each of us on the team and at the time, that moment made all the blood, sweat and tears absolutely worth it.

Dom

Coach Harter and I have established an awesome relationship. I go to him for almost everything. If I’m having track problems or school problems, he’s always there to listen to me. Sometimes he doesn’t tell me what I want to hear, but he always gives it to me straight and I really appreciate that. He’s been there for me during my happy and sad times; he’s picked me up when I’m down and celebrated the good times with me.

He’s definitely made me a better person, teammate and runner, and for that, I’m forever grateful.

Dominique Scott is currently training with Lance Harter to qualify for the South African National Olympic Team. She currently lives in Fayetteville with her husband and she is pursuing sponsorship opportunities as a professional track athlete