Dec. 7, 2011
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By Jenna Marina
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Every time UCF track and field sophomore long jumper Jen Clayton looks down at her right wrist, she sees the eyes of her older brother, Lorenzo.
Adorning Clayton's wrist is a beaded red and blue bracelet with the word "Panama" spelled out in the center. She never takes off the bracelet as a tribute to Lorenzo, who passed away about a month ago in a house fire accident in Colon, Panama.
"He's my heart," Clayton said. "I love him so much and even though he's gone, that's why I wear this Panama bracelet. I look at it and think of him on a daily basis. When he was alive, every time I spoke to him he'd say, `I love you Jen, I can't wait to see you again.'"
Clayton, a Nyack, N.Y. native, was 15 years old the day she met her father's eldest child, Lorezno. After competing for Team USA in Italy, she visited her father's home country of Panama for the first time. The moment she looked into Lorezno's eyes, she saw her father's eyes, and the bond formed instantly.
"I just kept hugging him and we were just crying in each other's arms," Clayton said.
Because of the 2,200 miles that separated them, the two did not speak often but remained close. Lorezno was even planning to move to New York this year and spending more time with his younger sister.
It had been three months since Clayton transferred from LSU to UCF when she received the news that her brother had died after he repeatedly entered a burning house to save people before eventually succumbing to smoke inhalation.
The members of the track and field team, whom Clayton now calls her "sisters," came to her side the night of Lorenzo's death to pray with her. Their support reaffirmed the decision she made months ago to leave Baton Rouge, La., and join UCF's burgeoning track and field program.
"They were all crying, too. It wasn't like I just lost my brother, it was like we all lost a brother," Clayton said. "I've never had a team that cared so much before. I feel like UCF only has this (camaraderie). It's amazing."
A 2010 graduate of Suffern High School in New York, Clayton finished her junior season as the top-rated long jumper in the nation, regardless of class. That same year she earned a spot on Team USA after winning the long jump title at the 2009 USA Track & Field World Youth Championships Trials in Ypsilanti, Mich., and would go on to represent her country at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Italy.
Clayton set her sights on LSU in 2008 when the Tigers won their 25th NCAA National Championship -- the most national titles of any women's track and field program in the country.
"I thought, well if I want to keep being a winner, I have to go to LSU. No other school compares to them," Clayton said.
Things didn't go the way she had planned at LSU, so she decided to make a change. Clayton credits former All-Conference USA sprinter Lynne Lane as her reason for settling on UCF.
Clayton was an eighth-grader when she used to compete against her idol Layne in the 100 and 200-meter races in New York. Layne went on to Tennessee where she earned seven All-American honors as a sprinter before transferring to UCF in 2009.
"I thought, OK, Lynne Lane went to Tennessee, but why did she transfer to UCF?" Clayton said. "I found out she followed Coach Caryl (Smith Gilbert) to this school."
Clayton researched a little more into UCF's program and saw that everyone on the team's roster was improving their personal bests. She decided that with Smith Gilbert's support and guidance, she too could reach the next level and help UCF in its quest for its first national championship.
"I feel like we're really going to do it this year," Clayton said. "We have built a sister bond and you can't leave your sister behind. Most teams can't look to their left or right and say, `OK that's my sister, you're not going to come between us.' I feel like that's what we have and no one is going to touch us."
If all of Clayton's goals come true -- reaching a mark of 22 feet in the long jump, an individual national champion title, a team championship -- they will be all the more sweet as she achieves each milestone with her sisters.
Smith Gilbert has always been a promoter of team unity, both in competition and in time of need.
"We all have been working very hard this year on the real meaning of family, loyalty, respect and character," Smith Gilbert said. "The team has its ups and downs but all in all we are doing a great job being more understanding about each other's personalities, personal circumstances and different cultures. Jen has overcome that difficult time (of her brother's passing) and is using it as motivation and inspiration for this season."
And if she ever needs a jolt of inspiration, all she has to do is look down at her right wrist.
"I always look at this and I feel like I can talk to him through this," Clayton said, acknowledging the bracelet. "It might seem crazy but it calms me down. If I'm having a bad day on the track, I'll just look down and think, `Lorenzo, I need help. I need to get through this.' I have conversations in my head. It takes me to a different world.
"He's our angel. I can't be upset with what happened. God has a plan for everyone."