It Was All Worth It

As a track and field athlete, Perry Christie is elite. A school record holder in the high jump, an NCAA qualifier and now Big Ten champion, the accolades tell the story of a physically gifted athlete. 

What is less known about Christie is the road he traveled to get to this point in his athletic career and his determination to persevere regardless of the challenges and setbacks he faced. A highly competitive and confident person, successive injuries sometimes left Christie questioning his abilities. The lack of cooperation from his body made a laundry list of goals seem unattainable. 

His senior year at Union Catholic in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, went opposite of how he planned, and Christie arrived at Rutgers rehabbing an injury entering his freshman year. He and Bob Farrell, director of track and field and cross country, agreed that the Summer Bridge program would be an opportunity for Christie to get acclimated to the college lifestyle. Focus on academics and getting healthy were the directives. 

Entering the fall of 2016, Christie made strides in his rehabilitation and the anticipation of getting back on the track to compete began to build. But despite having moments of progress, something didn’t feel right and an MRI would later reveal an injury to Christie’s back. This meant no more practice with the team and he was now relegated back to the training room for treatment. 

“That actually took a mental toll on me,” said Christie. “To the point where I felt like I was putting all this work in and I wasn't seeing the results. I couldn't even practice with the team so I felt isolated. 

“You're a freshman, so coming in you want to be a part of the team. You want to feel like you belong and not having any of that, just going to the training room every day and watching other people practice, it took a toll on me.”

Isolation from his team presented an opportunity for doubt to creep in. 

Christie texted coach Farrell after one of his classes and said he needed to talk. He was between classes, so Farrell along with Mike Mulqueen, the associate head track and field coach, decided to meet Christie. The freshman expressed having doubts about being a Division I athlete and questioned if he wanted to withdraw with the program. He talked about the goals he set forth – Big Ten champion, national champion and eventually a pro athlete – but all those things seemed out of reach if he couldn’t stay healthy.

Farrell reassured Christie that he understood his feelings of being overwhelmed and would support him in getting through this moment. 

“He told me, my goal is for you to accomplish all those things and be in a position to do that by the time you're a senior,” said Christie. “As a freshman, I'm not thinking about the long term, I'm thinking about the short term so that helped a lot.”

Eventually Christie was able to return to practice with his sights on making a mark in his debut season at Rutgers, but a hamstring injury impacted his freshman indoor season. Another obstacle arose when an injured right hip labrum hampered his outdoor season and derailed his chances of qualifying for Team USA at the USATF Junior Championships. 

This would prove to be the roughest patch for Christie who overcame injuries to show flashes of the success he could have in the sport. He spent the summer traveling between East Orange and New Brunswick three times a week for treatment and physical therapy. Rehab was not enough to return to form and surgery heading into his sophomore year was inescapable. 

“At this point, I'm so overwhelmed that I can't really sleep at night,” said Christie. “I'm up all day, all night and I probably get about two to three hours of sleep at night.”

In search of answers, Christie discussed what he was experiencing with the team trainers, and through the Rutgers Behavioral Health & Sport Psychology program he received resources to address the noticeable changes. 

“I really wasn't open to seeing a psychologist,” said Christie. “Sitting down and talking to somebody, it was uncomfortable at first, but when I realized that it's really not them I'm talking to, it’s more so speaking out loud what I'm feeling and what I'm going through, it definitely does help. Especially when you feel like you're alone in situations.”

Professional help provided Christie with tools and techniques to better manage situations. He started meditating, reading self-help books and reminded himself to live in the moment rather than being anywhere and everywhere. His mindset shifted going into competitions, relying on the quote “it’s me versus me” to prepare him.

“By talking to somebody who's professionally capable of helping me mentally, that just helped me feel more confident in myself,” said Christie.

The work he has put in off the track has prepared Christie to manage the ups and downs of competition and take the twists and turns of life in stride. That was most evident last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the everyday lives of the entire globe.

Christie was tied for first in the conference rankings leading into the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Championships, but he ended up taking third place at the meet. That put a chip on his shoulder heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships. Although he was thankful for the bronze, he saw the upcoming NCAA Championships as a chance to redeem himself, but while preparing for the meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, word slowly spread around the track that the effects of the pandemic were worse than originally thought.

A pre-meet dinner with the student-athletes and coaches in attendance was canceled. It was determined the crowd would include only the competitor’s families and then eventually decided no fans at all. On the final day of practice before the meet was scheduled to start, the NCAA Indoor Championship was canceled.

Months later, the Olympic trials were canceled as well. The isolation of COVID, a canceled chance at an NCAA Championship and no outdoor season could have been viewed as another monumental setback.

“When I say live in the moment, you really do have to live in a moment,” said Christie. “You can’t think about what's going to happen or what has happened. So everything getting shut down, I use it as motivation to say I did prove to everyone that I am one of those top guys in the country. But I didn't have the opportunity to show it on a national level. That just drives me even harder.”

The scheduled events of the previous year being canceled gave Christie more time to perfect his craft. He moved from Georgia where his family relocated a couple years ago, got an apartment in New Brunswick and resumed training harder than he ever had in the past.

Fast forward to the 2021 indoor season; Christie goes through the year confident that he would return to form and have a chance to claim the Big Ten gold medal that slipped his grasp the previous season.

“I just had the mindset that there was nothing that was going to stop me from a championship.”

On Feb. 27, the final day of the Big Ten Championship, Christie finally took his place on the top podium spot with the conference medal in hand. All the times doubt attempted to creep in and disrupt his goals, Christie now had proof that his dedication and hard work had paid off. 

“It was all worth it,” said Christie. “There were so many times, waking up early, going to the training room, double sessions that people looked at me like ‘why do you care so much.’ I just knew that it would all come together.”

Christie has seen the strides he has made over the years, not only in himself but in his teammates. The motivation between the men’s and women’s programs is shared through words of encouragement in group texts and calls of congratulation. That connection and hard work showed with the overall scoring effort on both sides at the Big Ten Championships as the team’s combined for four medals and 10 podium finishes. 

Christie credits many around the Rutgers program for helping guide him through the winding road of his career. 

For Christie, the sense of accomplishment is in making others around him proud. It is what fuels and excites his drive. Being able to share that success with a support system that includes family, teammates and trainers Jen Steinberg and Regan Jones at times outweighs the joy of standing atop the podium. He also points to his special connection with coach Farrell, who he views as a second father figure. 

“He’s a very passionate individual and he treats you like you’re one of his own,” said Christie. “That’s the reason why I came to Rutgers because he made it seem as if he genuinely cared for me as a person, more than an athlete. And he still holds true to that to this day. I’m grateful that he’s in my life, I appreciate him.”