Downtime for junior sprinter Jada Martin and senior sprinter and hurdler Chanice Chase means kisses, recess and retail therapy.
The women on LSU’s track and field team work hard to be the best on the track, but find special pleasure in relaxation during their time away from the stadium.
When she’s not going out to eat or going to the movies, Chase said she likes “chilling at home and watching Netflix.”
“I’m kind of a homebody,” she said.
Along the same line, after a long day of training Martin said she spends most of her time in the comfort of her own bed, much to the disappointment of her playful maltipoo puppy, Coco Chanel.
The Georgia-native loves having the company of Coco. The thought of always coming home to kisses cheers her up after a long day at practice, she said.
Chase also has a dog, a bluenose pitbull named Diesel.
To many’s surprise, the pairs hard-nosed pitbull and fluffy maltipoo are genuine friends, much like their speedster owners.
“We had a team function before practice one time and were watching an away football game,” Martin said. “Chanice bought her dog over and at the time both of our dogs were really, really little. It was just really cute watching them run around.”
The two student-athletes also mutually love shopping, as well as their pets, but Chase said she falls victim to retail therapy. She turns to shopping when she doesn’t do well on the track, but when she excels, she still ends up at the mall.
Chase finds priority in being both fashionable on, and off, the track. She exhibits her style during competitions by coloring her hair. She’s been through purple, blue, blonde and is now back to black in the 2016 outdoor track season.
“Off the track, I’m very fashionable, but on the track I’ll wear jewelry or do my hair a certain way. But other than that, we’re in uniform so there’s not much room for fashion,” Chase said.
Even though her lengthy list of hobbies keeps her busy, Chase sets aside to help others when she’s free, too.
Outside of practice and trips to the mall, Chase finds time to do community service at a nearby school where she plays with the children during recess.
“Community service is always going to be a positive thing,” LSU coach Debbie Parris-Thymes said. “Sports are a unifying thing and kids are always going to be looking up to sports personalities as heroes.”
Being a student-athlete is about all of the unexpected moments, but also means hard work and dedication to be successful in their respective sport.
On April 9, the two Lady Tigers cracked the NCAA’s top 10 with their performances at the Battle of the Bayou meet in Baton Rouge.
Chase debuted in the 100-meter hurdles and finished second in 13.04 seconds. She also ran her season-best time of 56.66 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles for a third-nationally ranked position, and in-turn, she was named the SEC’s Runner of the Week for her performances.
Martin placed ninth nationally with a time of 23.06 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the meet.
“You always hear different people say if you look good on the outside then it’ll carry out in everything you do – you’ll try to conduct yourself in such a way,” Parris-Thymes said. “For us we always think if you look good, you smell good, you feel good, you run good.”

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Wingate Jones

LSU senior Chanice Chase sprints during the Battle of the Bayou on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Skip Bertman Stadium