Introduction
Six-time Olympic medalist encourages students to ‘remain coachable’
One of the most decorated female athletes of all time, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, took the stage Saturday night in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock as the keynote speaker for the sixth annual All-Arkansas Preps banquet. The event, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and sponsored by CHI St. Vincent, honors more than 400 Arkansas student athletes and coaches.
More than 1,100 people attended the banquet, which honored Arkansas student-athletes for their accomplishments, not only in sports but also off the field or court, with award presentations for outstanding athletes in each sport, special awards and two overall winners, along with a Coach of the Year award.
During her career, Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals spanning four Olympic Games. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, she won the silver medal in the heptathlon. At the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea, Joyner-Kersee struck gold in both her signature events — the heptathlon, where she set the current world record, and the long jump.
Four years later at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, she won gold in the heptathlon and bronze in the long jump. In her final Olympic appearance at the 1996 Atlanta Games, she won the bronze medal in the long jump. She won a total of four gold medals (two in the heptathlon and two in the long jump) at three World Championships and finished first in the long jump at the 1987 Pan American Games. Sports Illustrated
for Women magazine named her the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century.
Joyner-Kersee joined an outstanding lineup of past All-Arkansas Preps speakers, including retired Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, sports commentator Dick Vitale, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. and Cowboys running back Emmit Smith.
“This year, we were so excited to showcase not only our first female speaker, but also someone who is one of the greatest female athletes of all time,” said Amanda Copley, marketing and events director for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “Joyner-Kersee is also the first track star and the first Olympian to host All-Arkansas Preps. It’s meaningful to have all of these historical firsts at Preps with an athlete known for breaking records and leading the way. From injuries to diet to dealing with personal doubt during her career, Joyner-Kersee remains relatable and an admirable role model for athletes everywhere today.”
Joyner-Kersee shared stories of her journey to becoming a four-time Olympic competitor, as well as some of the events throughout her life that led her to greatness. One of those was a track meet in Russellville when she was only 9 years old. She finished last in the 400-meter race but came in first in the long jump.
“That set it up for me,” Joyner-Kersee said. “We didn’t have a track, and we didn’t know what a track was, really.”
Having grown up in East St. Louis, Joyner-Kersee began to realize at a young age that she had the skills she needed to reach the Olympic podium, but that achievement would not come without hard work.
“For me, growing up in a community that in the eyes of other people is bad, but to me was my environment, that is where I learned to strategize,” she said. “That is where I learned to take on challenges. That is where I learned to recognize the struggle and recognize that I could make it and be the best that I could be.”
As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, Joyner-Kersee was diagnosed with asthma. At first, she was afraid that her running career could be in jeopardy, but she soon found a way to view the illness in a competitive manner — simply thinking of it as another competitor that would not get the best of her.
Once she reached the Olympics, she overcame a bout of tendinitis that left her knee taped and effected on her confidence.
“[In 1984], I went into the heptathlon not thinking as a champion and looking for every reason for my leg to act up, and it didn’t,” she said. “As an athlete, you don’t think you should get injured, and when you get injured, you don’t handle it very well.”
Even though she made it to the podium with a silver medal in 1984, she didn’t take home gold until her second appearance in the Olympics in 1988. In those games, though, she set a world record and faced the media as she was referred to as the world’s greatest female athlete. That was a time, Joyner-Kersee said, when she found it was important to remain humble.
“As long as I was competing, I had to be coachable,” she said. “I could never begin to go against my coaches. I always had to be a student of my sport and always willing to learn.”
Joyner-Kersee went on to compete in two more Olympic Games and round out her career with a total of six medals. She continues to hold the world record in the heptathlon and the Olympic record in the long jump, but even though she had reached her goal of making it to the top of the podium several times over, she said she never wanted to lose sight of who she is and left the students in the audience with encouragement to persevere.
“You can turn a doubter into a believer,” Joyner-Kersee said. “Be the best you can be, and learn about the people you admire. It was just as important for people to know Jackie Joyner (now Joyner-Kersee) because all of the materialistic things can be taken away at any time, but my foundation, my heart and soul can never be taken away. I will always be that little girl who came through the community and never forgot where she came from.”
In addition to honoring more than 400 high school athletes from across the state, the banquet recognized their accomplishments in 12 sports. The event included two special awards given to athletes who have made a difference outside of the sports arena. The CHI St. Vincent Health Award honors a student-athlete who has overcome a health challenge to excel in one of the 12 sports, and the Hussman Community Award salutes a student-athlete who has excelled off the field in his or her community. Those honored were chosen by a committee from entries submitted by high school coaches and the public.
This year’s event was also sponsored by First Security Bank, Dillard’s, New Balance, the Arkansas Wrestling Association, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sport Clips.