Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Jackie Joyner-Kersee, one of America’s most successful Olympians in track and field, at a speaking event at WCU. My uncle, who is the executive director of the WCU Foundation, offered free tickets to the Cross-Country team to see Mrs. Joyner-Kersee speak, and meet her afterwards. As you can assume, our coach Marnie Guinta was very excited about this unique opportunity, and encouraged many of us to take up the offer. On the evening of Friday, November 21st, with about 15 members of the team and their parents, we attended the presentation and listened to Jackie’s speech.

With the tagline “Running the Race with Grace and Humility On and Off the Track,” I didn’t know what to expect from the speech. I assumed it would be about how she won her medals and the hardships she faced, but she did more than that. She told the audience about her childhood, and what drove her to become one of the most decorated female athletes of all time, winning three gold, one silver and two bronze medals over 13 years. Her speech was riveting, well-toned, and a pleasure to listen to.

Afterwards, those who had tickets to meet Mrs. Joyner-Kersee traveled upstairs to the Presidential Library, where Jackie posed for pictures and shook hands. Along with my coaches, some teammates and sister, I took pictures, and briefly told Jackie Joyner-Kersee about how our cross-country team had recently became Delaware State Champions, to which she congratulated us. After that, we enjoyed the complimentary sodas, which were served in champagne flutes, and catered desserts. It was an amazing experience, and I am glad I was able to experience it with my teammates.