We are so excited to announce to our team 400m hurdler Shante Little (Shawn-tay). Shante has an amazing story. After the first couple times that Shante contacted us we knew at the nest that she was special. She is determined to go after her goals full force and see how far her hard work takes her! Her appreciation of the journey that an elite athlete embarks on and her willingness to tell the up's and down's of that story resonated with us. We can't wait to cheer for her as she flies over those hurdles this spring and beyond. Learn more from Shante on her running and joining Oiselle...
Running has always been about coming home for me. It’s only fitting that I landed in Oiselle’s nest during my first year of post-collegiate training. I attended Wheaton College, a small, private, liberal arts school in Massachusetts. While Wheaton has a rich history as a women’s seminary that didn’t become coeducational until 1988, it is the legacy of the women’s track & field program that resonates with me most. It was as a part of this program that I set the DIII National 400mH record alongside 4 other school records, secured 2 individual National Championship titles in the open 400m and garnered 16 All-America honors. I often say that I was ‘raised’ as an athlete at Wheaton.
For an elite hurdler, I don’t have the same background as many of the women that I compete against. I was average-at-best in high school. I never even won states. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I learned, and really believed, that I could do anything that I wanted - as long as I was willing to work. I thrived off of that, off of the possibilities that came with this new belief. It gave me comfort standing on the line facing one hard workout after the next, knowing that the only thing standing in front of me was my willingness to put in the work. It still does.
That’s the beauty of track & field, of running. It all comes down to a choice, to you and your two legs. Exceeding your own expectations and surpassing your own limitations. Seeing just how far and how fast you can go. I’ve gone a lot farther and a lot faster than I ever thought I would.
This fall I began training at the World Athletics Center, based in Phoenix, with some of the best coaches and athletes in the sport. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would end up training alongside Olympians or National and World record holders…and now, in the midst of my first outdoor season with the WAC, another dream is coming true.
The more that I explored Oiselle, the more I knew that I wanted to be a part of this amazing group of women. There is something to be said about a strong culture and that is palpable here. As a young athlete fresh out of college and new to the world of professional track & field, Oiselle’s community is exactly what I need. Not only are these women strong and fierce, they are authentic- and unapologetically so. They work hard for and with each other. The support and camaraderie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Like I said, running has always been about coming home for me. Every time I run, along the beach or around the track, every time I step on the line, every time I’m in the weight room, I’m home. I don’t believe that home has to be a physical place. It’s a feeling, a sense of belonging.
Oiselle feels like coming home.
