{"id":587263,"date":"2021-07-09T15:20:48","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T19:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=587263"},"modified":"2021-07-09T15:20:50","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T19:20:50","slug":"from-working-at-mcdonalds-to-competing-at-the-olympics-meet-the-u-s-track-star-living-the-american-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/from-working-at-mcdonalds-to-competing-at-the-olympics-meet-the-u-s-track-star-living-the-american-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"From Working At McDonalds To Competing At The Olympics, Meet The U.S. Track Star Living The American Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffrom-working-at-mcdonalds-to-competing-at-the-olympics-meet-the-u-s-track-star-living-the-american-dream%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=587263&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1325671378-1.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>The lead up to the Olympics has been difficult. With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the Games a full year, and some U.S. athletes disrespecting the flag during the National Anthem, it\u2019s understandable that many Americans find themselves less excited than usual ahead of the Summer Olympics.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And then there are stories that remind us why we tune in. Stories that give us a reason to to cheer for our athletes no matter what\u2019s going on in our society.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stories like that of <\/span><span>Quanesha Burks\u2019 keep us coming back.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Burks is a member of the U.S. Olympic team and heading to Tokyo as a long jumper hoping to bring home a medal and glory to her country.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But before her chance at glory, there were tough times and moments when the dream seemed out of reach.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Growing up in Hartselle, Alabama, Burks worked a job at McDonald\u2019s in order to earn some money. But the money she earned didn\u2019t go to her own bank account, it went towards paying off her grandmother\u2019s car insurance.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen I worked at McDonald\u2019s, I thought it was the best job ever,\u201d Burks <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/olympics\/2021\/07\/09\/quanesha-burks-long-jumper-mcdonalds-olympics\"><span>told Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cI was making $100 every two weeks. It\u2019s terrible, but I came to work every day happy and I knew it was all part of my goal to go to college.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"4.4878048780488\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What a journey for long jumper Quanesha Burks \ud83d\ude4c <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/strongbelieverQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@strongbelieverQ<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cO6EXo49mK\">pic.twitter.com\/cO6EXo49mK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ESPN (@espn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espn\/status\/1413547599228022788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Burks and her siblings were raised by their grandmother, living paycheck to paycheck. After waking up at 4:30 a.m. to drive her grandmother to her job at a nursing home, getting her sisters ready for school, and attending classes and practice, Burks would show up for her shift at the fast food chain.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She would work the 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift on the weekdays, and the early shift on the weekends.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Burks took up high school athletics when she noticed the potential for earning a college scholarship. After placing third at the 2012 USATF National Junior Olympics, she dedicated herself to the sport.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI remember looking up the requirements to earn a full scholarship and I wrote those goals down,\u201d Burks <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/olympics\/2021\/07\/09\/quanesha-burks-long-jumper-mcdonalds-olympics\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cI jumped 20 feet and that\u2019s when everything changed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Burks would go on to win 11 state titles, including ones in the long jump, triple jump sweep, and the 100 meters. All while maintaining her job at McDonalds.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>University of Alabama track and field coach Miguel Pate recruited her hard, going so far as making calls to Burks as she worked the drive-thru.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cCoach Pate actually had to sit me down with my high school coach, Kenny Lopez, and guidance counselor so I could understand how my life was going to change and I wouldn\u2019t need to work at McDonald\u2019s,\u201d Burks said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She would go on to be named an All-American at Alabama \u2014 setting records along the way \u2014 while winning the 2015 outdoor and 2016 NCAA indoor long jump.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After Alabama, Burks began her career as a professional jumper, but challenges greeted her on this journey as well.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She missed the podium at the 2018 World Athletic Indoor Championships by 0.04 meters and lost her grandfather a year later. She won the U.S. indoor title in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China to be cancelled and the sports world to come to a halt.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She continued to train but suffered a bone bruise in her femur this past February, forcing her to halt her training for 11 weeks.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt felt like all the odds were against me,\u201d Burks said. \u201cAt one point, my coach told me, \u2018I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re going to physically be able to go to the trials. The doctors didn\u2019t know if I would be back in time. I was seeing some specialists and they didn\u2019t have much hope in me at all. I was facing so much, but I kept going back to when I worked at McDonald\u2019s. I had my goals set and I knew I could do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She entered the U.S. Olympic Trials as a longshot to make the team \u2014 ranked 11th in the U.S. in 2021.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All the years of hardship and training paid off \u2014 Burks jumped a personal best of 6.96 meters, qualifying her for the Olympic team.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>She\u2019ll head to Tokyo with Brittney Reese and Tara Davis \u2014 two jumpers with superior resumes. It doesn\u2019t matter to Burks. She knows where she comes from.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to be like one from my home town in a small community, really just representing myself, but Hartselle, the University of Alabama and the state of Alabama,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/whnt.com\/sports\/from-hartselle-to-the-olympics-quanesha-burks-excited-for-the-opportunity-that-lies-ahead\/\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> Burks, according to local outlet News 19. \u201cKnowing that I\u2019m representing us in Tokyo is just a blessing, it\u2019s an honor and I\u2019m so proud of the other Olympians.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>From McDonalds to the Olympics. Is there anything more American?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lead up to the Olympics has been difficult. With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the Games a full year, and some U.S. athletes disrespecting the flag during the National Anthem, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314372,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1325671378-1.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"From Working At McDonalds To Competing At The Olympics, Meet The U.S. Track Star Living The American Dream","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-587263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1325671378-1.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"From Working At McDonalds To Competing At The Olympics, Meet The U.S. Track Star Living The American Dream","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}