Glory Days Magazine’s “Momversation” is a series that spotlights mothers of high school athletes to get their take on their son’s or daughter’s scholastic career and to provide some insight into the lives of these athletes. Publisher Dave O’Sullivan sat down last month with Nina Garrett, mom of Egg Harbor Township’s Nabiya (a junior) and Ayanna (a sophomore) Garrett, who are sprinters on the Eagles’ track team. Nina Garrett was named Glory Days Magazine’s “Team Mom of the Year” after Nabiya’s nomination was selected by a panel of independent judges. Nabiya’s nomination was chosen among several that were turned in as part of a Mother’s Day contest run by the magazine. Nina, an Atlantic City High School graduate, is a working mother of five and also has a grandson. Sully: What were the girls like when they were little tykes? Nina: Nabiya, she walked when she was about seven months. Ayanna walked early too, maybe around nine months, so they had a head start. I knew in that way they had something more instilled in them. I knew they would be runners or athletes of some kind. They displayed that at a very young age. Sully: At what age did you think these girls would be really into sports? Nina: In Atlantic City we had the intramural program and they started running track in about fourth grade. Once they got on the track there was no turning back. They won all their races at the time, and as they got older we moved out here to Egg Harbor Township and they joined the track team in seventh grade. Amber Jenkins, her father saw them running on the track and he said ‘those girls are really good, you should sign them up for the track club.’ So they started in the track club. The qualified for the National Junior Olympics in 2011 in New Orleans. Sully: Were they into other sports growing up? Nina: No, not really. I think (track) is in the blood, because I was into track in elementary, junior high and high school. The weird thing about it is, I remember running track my freshman and sophomore years in high school but most of my glory days were in junior high years, we were state champions. But I don’t recall much of my high school years (in track). I ran track, my brothers ran track, my dad ran track, my sister ran track, so it kind of runs in the family. Sully: What’s the biggest difference between these two girls? 
Glory Days Magazine Team Mom of the Year Nina Garrett, center, poses with her family outside their Egg Harbor Township home in May. Garrett currently is a working mom who is raising five children, and also has a grandson. (Photo by Ben Hale/Ben Hale Photography) Nina: Nabiya is very matter-of-fact. She’s very serious and self-motivated, self-driven. Ayanna, on the other hand, anything goes with her. Nothing has to be done any kind of set way. Nabiya is more quiet, she definitely takes on the big sister role. Sully: How tough has it been for you, being a working mom and raising these kids? Nina: It can be tough because in addition to working and all their activities you still have doctor’s visits and appointments and school activities. But it all just comes together, I don’t know how. I cook almost every day. I don’t know how it happens, it just has a way of all falling into place. Now that they are older it’s gotten a little bit easier. I don’t know how it all works out, I ask myself that all the time. Sully: What’s it like having two teenagers in the house? Nina: Actually we have three. They are like any other siblings, they have sibling rivalries sometimes. They fight about things like, you’re in my face, or you took something and you didn’t ask for it. But, for the most part, they get along. And it’s great to see them on the track together. There aren’t too many arguments about what happens on the track. They get along as far as that. They can be emotional because they are girls, a lot of hormonal stuff going on. But we work through that. Sully: What’s daily life like here? Is it just people coming and going all the time? Nina: Yes, all the time. Ayanna: Like tonight, I’m having a sleepover. I have four friends over this weekend. Nina: The daily life is everything is hustle and bustle. You know, get up, get dressed, take my son to the bus, come home, go to the track meet, come home and cook. It’s constantly busy. We’re constantly moving. Sully: What do you do to have your own personal time or down time? Is there any down time? Nina: My husband and I, we try to go out on Friday night and have that date night, get away from the children. They are older so we can get away from them a little bit. I’m also involved with the Atlantic City Education Association, so I go to workshops and conferences. I try to read when I can. We try to take the kids away once a year and then (my husband and I) try to go away once a year to give everyone time to be alone and also to be with the family. Nabiya: My mom always tries to be like super woman and we’ll be like, no, mom, you can chill, go sit down. Nina: Sometimes they give me time because I don’t give myself my own time. They’ll go to a friend’s house on the weekend or something. Sully: I guess it’s tough when you are the mom, you are always thinking about everyone else and don’t really think about yourself. Is that how it is? Nina: Yeah, we do a lot. My immediate family is big and my extended family is big as well. We do a lot of family get togethers. Sully: What about the girls as they are now? Are they developing into the people you thought they would be? Nina: I think they have carried out their personalities since childhood. I’m very proud of them. I think they are growing into nice young ladies. They kind of find their own way. Whatever works for them, that’s how they chose to live life. We’re here to support them so that they can be successful. Sully: Are you tough on them? Nina: Not as much now as when they were younger. You kind of have to let them try to find themselves. What I am tough on is making sure they are doing their chores. Each one of them has a chore chart, and there are enough of us in here to where we divide the pie. When they are not doing their chores when they are supposed to and how they are supposed to, that sets me off. When I come in the house and the first thing I see are bookbags and shoes and coats, that drives me crazy. Sully: Do they come to you for advice, or is it more like you are hammering home to them to make good decisions? Nina: I think they lean on each other. They’ll come to me with something really important. Dinner time is huge for me. That’s the time we can talk about our day, if there is something bothering them. A lot of families don’t get a lot of chances to spend time together, it’s just the way society is with people working so much. We are fortunate that my husband and I work during the day so that we can be home for them. I think it’s important that they can talk about each other’s day. As far as advice, they lean on each other because they are teenagers. They’re not going to come to my husband and I for certain things. But hopefully we’ve instilled in them right and wrong, and if there is something detrimental to your health or your life, or the life of others, then of course they should come to us. Sully: They are pretty much halfway through their high school careers. I
s it all going too fast for you? Nina: Yes, it is going too fast. Next year Nabiya will be graduating and Ayanna is right behind her. Sully: Is that the toughest thing, to just slow everything down? Nina: Well, sometimes when they are getting on my nerves I say, ‘when are you leaving?’ Haha. But no, there aren’t really moments like that. Sully: When you think about the future, what do you hope they remember about their high school careers? Nina: The most important thing is to have fun. I think track will be memorable. Sully: Do you feel like a team mom? Nina: I was actually really shocked when Nabiya told me (I had been selected). Sometimes, with my everyday tasks that I do, I don’t really think about all that I do. I thought it was really special for Nabiya to nominate me for that. It was one of those moments where I was like, ‘wow, they really do appreciate what I do.’ But I feel like we are all team moms. They are like my extended track team family, we do a lot together. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Momversation: Team Mom of the Year Nina Garrett, EHT track mom
