When she was in eighth grade, Haley Bishop noticed a teammate on her track team running in regular sneakers instead of the track-specific spikes that give competitive runners the grip necessary for maximum speed. Rather than thinking it a source of amusement, something to tease them about, she thought about the spikes on her feet—the spikes she was fortunate to take for granted. She told her parents it didn’t seem right, that someone needed to do something. All right, they challenged her. What was her plan?
From those humble origins was born We Set the Pace, a nonprofit organization that Bishop founded in middle school to encourage young people to “use their passion, discover their purpose, and use that knowledge to prepare for the future.” Spikes for the Soul, one of the organization’s earliest and ongoing initiatives, provides new and gently used track spikes to young runners in and around her native Fort Mill and Rock Hill, South Carolina, who are otherwise unable to afford them.
The first year, her organization raised enough in donations to buy seven pairs of spikes. Not so very long after distributing them, a coach told Bishop that one of the recipients had just won the county title.
Who says track and field is an individual sport?
Connectivity has always fascinated Bishop—the way people influence, inspire and interact with one another. At Vanderbilt, the communications studies major learned to find her own voice in life’s conversations.
She also found a community that supported her when the student-athlete qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, then endured the frustrations and uncertainty of a lengthy recovery from injury. Because like that county champion she helped to reach new heights, few who stand atop the podium get there without the support of people who cared enough to help them realize the dream.
From her family, with parents Heather and Quinset Bishop Sr. still her North Star, to Vanderbilt director of track and field Althea Thomas and assistant coach for sprints and hurdles Cameia Alexander, among a bevy of mentors, Bishop has her team.
“When you have other people who believe in you, it helps you start believing in yourself,” Bishop said. “I think all these years, with the village that I have around me, have really helped me grow into who I’m supposed to become.”
Finding Her Voice
Her nonprofit efforts notwithstanding, Bishop arrived at college more comfortable observing…