Joyner-kersee still competitive Aurora Games
Honorary captain of Team Americas wants her team to win
Jackie Joyner-kersee, selected by Sports Illustrated as the best female athlete of the 20th century, will visit Albany in late August as part of the Aurora Games at Times Union Center.
Just don’t expect her to compete. After all, we’re well into the 21st century now.
“Everyone wants to race me,” said Joyner-kersee, who won six medals over four Olympics in the heptathlon and long jump. “They want to see me jump 24 feet. I’m like, ‘C’mon! Please!’ That passed me by.”
Track and field won’t even be a part of the Aurora Games. Joyner-kersee, 57, will fill the role as honorary captain for Team Americas at the all-women sports festival
Aug. 20-25.
Retired from competition since 1998, Joyner-kersee is far from sedentary these days. She and her husband/coach, Bob Kersee, run the Jackie Joyner-kersee Foundation, which inspires youths in her hometown of East St. Louis, Ill., to pursue athletics and academics.
“I do a lot of walking and do some running,” said Joynerkersee, who is asthmatic. “I have a program I designed called ‘Winning in Life.’ It’s a leadership and characterdevelopment curriculum, but movement is part of it — working with young people and being ready to move, and getting them active.”
Many of the world’s top female athletes, some of whom may have been inspired by the feats of Joyner-kersee, will be in the Capital Region for the inaugural Aurora Games competition.
Joyner-kersee said that athletes don’t have to compete in the same sport to find common topics of conversation.
“We all train hard, and it’s a constant reminder that you’re as good as your last race,” she said. “You still have to put in the work, and it’s OK if I share The schedule (all events at Times Union Center unless indicated):
■ Tuesday, Aug. 20: Opening ceremonies and tennis, 7 p.m.
■ Wednesday, Aug. 21: ■ Thursday, Aug. 22: ■ Friday, Aug. 23: ■ Saturday, Aug. 24: Figure skating, 1 p.m. (table tennis exhibition at Albany Capital Center, noon)
■ Sunday, Aug. 25: Beach volleyball and closing ceremonies, 11 a.m. (table tennis exhibition at Albany Capital Center, noon) https://auroragamesfestival.com
my experiences, but we all are, or what we all have in common, should be that we’re all coachable, that there’s always an authoritarian figure. There’s always the coach, you’re the athlete, and never lose sight of that. No matter how great they say you are, if you’re part of a team, you’re part of a team for a reason, and that coach leads the team.
“Also, a lot of us can share in injuries, the kids just trying to stay healthy and not doing anything out of the ordinary or trying to do something special that the coach didn’t ask you to do. At this level, you’re here for a reason. Most of the time, outside of trying to win the trophy, you want to enjoy it and have fun. People come to see some of the best women compete, enjoy what they’re doing, be able to inspire a younger generation to want to do a sport that they didn’t even think about doing, at least try it.”
At the Aurora Games, she will be the face of Team Americas, consisting of athletes from North and South America, and will be matched against gymnast Nadia Comaneci, the honorary captain for Team World.
“We all are competitors,” Joyner-kersee said. “You put your energy in the arena, one on one side, and one on the other. You come together, you’re competing. It’s a friendly rivalry, but in the end it’s a team concept, and there’s going to be points. We know, in the end, we’re trying to win
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. Ice hockey,
that trophy. It’s fun, you will get to see some of your friends, but then you all have a role that you’re playing.”
In the meantime, returning to the spotlight in a competitive environment — even as an honorary captain — is sure to bring back some memories for Joyner-kersee.
“It seemed like a long time ago when you sit there and you watch it,” she said, “or when
I can walk through the doors at my center the kids come to me and say, ‘You’re in our social studies book.’ There are memories for me, the commitment to hard work, the dedication, the hours of training and the people who worked with me, who believe in me.”
pdougherty@timesunion. com 518-454-5416 @Pete_ Dougherty