My name is Anthony Lue. I was born in Scarborough, Ontario but shortly after birth my family moved to the east end of the city in what was the small town of Pickering. I was fortunate to have two loving parents Christopher and Marcia Lue, both born in Jamaica before immigrating to Canada later on in their lives. I also have a younger sister named Markisha and she is 18.

 

 

Life in Pickering was very simple and quiet for a number of years. Growing up I lived a comfortable life and attended school at Valley Farm P.S. From a young age I had an interest in sports and it soon became my passion. At the age of 6, I started playing house league baseball and from there I moved up the ranks to the Pickering Red Sox Rep Organization where I would play for another 6 years.

 

In my junior years of school, volleyball, basketball, and track and field were my favorite sports. I was on each team in my school. I was a dedicated student and well liked by both students and teachers. I managed to always keep busy with different school events whether it be sports, student council, band camp or volunteering at annual events. By the time grade 8 rolled around, it was evident that I was destined for athletic greatness as I was already receiving letters about attending local high schools.

 

Upon starting grade 9 in 2002 I very quickly became busy with sports. I continued playing with the Pickering Red Sox rep. baseball team, and joined other teams including, Team Ontario Provincial baseball, and the volleyball and track and field teams for Pickering High School. It was at the 2004 OFSSA Provincial track and field championship when I won my first gold medal in the 100m hurdles, that I realized my dream of going to the United States to pursue my post-secondary education on a scholarship could be a reality. However, it was shortly after my gold medal race that I would be forced to take a year off from all physical activity due to a sports injury.

 

 

Prior to this occurring I was always an optimistic and upbeat person. For the first time in a long time, I found myself with more free time on my hands than I knew what to do with - this time would prove to be a turning point in my life. I began hanging out with a different crowd and before I knew it the dreams I once had, slowly began to slip away.

 

By the end of grade 12 when all my friends were graduating and preparing for the next stage of their life I found myself 2 credits short of graduating. At the time, I thought it was not to bad; then, I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and what I had always dreamed for a scholarship doing what I loved best, hurdling. The choices I had made during my year off combined with my lack of effort proved to be my demise; attending school in the states in the fall of ’07 was no longer an option. Shortly after not graduating or going away to school I decided giving up was not an option,, failure, a word that scared me was now present in my mind. I realized that if I wanted to make things happen I needed to shape up.

 

Finally after another good knock to the head, I got myself back on track because I had a dream and a goal - nothing was going to stop me from achieving it. I went back to training and was now working at Autoboyz Service Center in an effort to save money to make up a bit of a shortfall for what was now the possibility of a partial scholarship.