Athlete Uses Deal With Shoe Company To Give Back

At 15, Quincy Wilson is already a big deal in track and field. A sophomore at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, Quincy smashed records and impressed commentators during his freshman season.

He also impressed the congregation at Wayman Good Hope AME Church this Christmas Eve when he gave shoes to the children of the church.

“I wouldn’t have been able to reach this point in my life without the support and prayers from Wayman Good Hope AME Church,” Quincy said.

To understand how Quincy pulled off this act of generosity, it helps to know his background.

Quincy ran 46.12 for the 400-meter race in the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field U20 championships in July and was crowned the New Balance nationals indoor 400-meter champion.

Qunicy’s performances caught the attention of many people, including those with New Balance. He became one of the youngest American athletes to sign a name, image and likeness contract with a major sports brand company. This development deal includes input into product development and wearing New Balance gear for competitions.

While Quincy competes out of Potomac, he has deep ties to Severna Park. His mother, a fifth-generation resident of Severna Park, is a Severn School Athletic Hall of Famer for soccer and basketball.

“My mom is my biggest inspiration on and off the track,” Quincy said. “She always encourages me to be my best self while competing and giving back to the community.”

Quincy coordinated the holiday giveaway with New Balance.

“New Balance has been great to work with,” he said. “When I told them my idea, they were incredibly happy to help.”

Quincy paired the gifts with an important message: running has many more applications than just competition.

“I wanted the kids to know that you can use running to help out when you’re mentally down, stressed or overwhelmed — you can always lean on walking or running as an outlet,” he explained.

Quincy is looking forward to completing a promising season. As of early January, he is ranked second in the nation for the 600-meter category and is looking forward to competing at the VA Showcase in Virginia Beach, an important and highly publicized race. Most of all, however, this season he wants to thank his supporters and continue to make them proud.