Growing up in Barbados, playing outside was a gift for senior track athlete Akela Jones. Once she finished her homework, she got to go play outside. There were no cell phones or computers yet. She ran around the neighborhood with her brothers and some other boys.
Jones said she started picking up sports around age 5, but she really started getting into them when she was 13. In high school, she participated in track and field, volleyball and netball (a sport similar to basketball).
Track gave Jones the opportunity to get involved in a variety of events and it kept her from getting into a rut.