Carlos Olivera fell in love with track and field when he was crowned the 60-meter champion in the sixth grade, a moment that still ranks as one of his favorites from his years in the sport.
"I was always the fastest kid in the neighborhood," he said proudly.
The sophomore at Northern Essex Community College and 2006 graduate of Haverhill High School knew he had a gift for speed from a young age, but he probably wouldn't have guessed that at 19 he would be lining up toe-to-toe with some of the best collegiate runners in the country as a member of the NECC track team.
The Northern Essex team, coached by Dawn Caputo, is a small one, made up of just six runners — three female and three male — but Olivera loves that the team is like a family.
Despite their lack of numbers, the little team that could fearlessly competes in meets with top-rate track programs from all over. Often, they race against four-year schools like Northeastern University that boast Division 1 scholarship athletes.
Olivera, 19, admits that the caliber of athletes can be a little intimidating, but he holds his own. At the Northeastern University Snowflake Meet on March 22, Olivera finished 11th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.98 seconds, and 12th in the 200 meters with a time of 24.60. The next week, on March 29 at the Rhode Island College Invitational, he finished sixth in both the 200 (23.76) and the 100 (11.88).
Next up for the Knights is a meet at Connecticut College on April 19 and a meet at Brown University on April 27. Then the Northeast District Meet will be held May 2 and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Meet will take place from May 8-10 in Delhi, New York.
In his time at Northern Essex, he has raced against world stand-outs and national champions, but Olivera doesn't let losing to some of the best get him down.
"It's kind of fun to me though, to run against these people, because I'm also a fan of track," he said.
Olivera does a little bit of everything for the Knights, including some jumps, the javelin and sprints.
"I guess I'm an all-around guy," he said.
Although he competes well in the 100 and 400 meter races, his favorite is the 200.
"It's not as short as the 100 meters, and it's not as long as the 400," Olivera said. "It's just the right distance."
Where some see punishment or brutal training for other disciplines, Olivera sees a release. Running, to him, is a way to escape from the stress of the day.
"It's painful when you're not in shape," he said with a laugh, "but it kind of relaxes me. You do have to have a certain mind set."
Olivera doesn't spend all of his time on the track, however. He is the sports editor of the NECC student paper, the Observer, and is studying broadcast journalism. His career goal is to be a sports broadcaster.
When he graduates this spring, he hopes to attend West Virginia University or East Carolina University. All Olivera wants is a different experience from his lifelong home of Haverhill.
"I want something new," he said.
However, Olivera will miss his close-knit team and the community he's found at Northern Essex.
"It's going to be pretty sad when I graduate," he said.
