East St. Louis legend tells Girls in Sports Day crowd how to win, lose and ‘be confident’

Patricia Turley was so excited to be one of the 200 people who attended at the celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day at the JJK Center last week that she could hardly talk about the experience.

Turley, whose 8-year-old daughter has attended the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis since she was 5, was thrilled to hear and see the center’s namesake, Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

“It was an amazing event,” Turley said. “The demonstrations Miss Jackie gave and the steps she outlined for the girls and women to be able to accomplish their goals was just the kind of information they needed to hear and see. Everything was awesome.

“There she was in front of them, this woman who came from East St. Louis and made it to the Olympics and then became an Olympic winner. More than once. It does not get better than that.

“It’s one thing for a parent to tell their child the things that will keep them safe, out of jail, and focused on bigger goals, but when you have someone like Miss Jackie talking to them it means so much more,” Turley said.

Former Olympian describes her efforts

Joyner-Kersee, who was named the greatest female athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated and won six Olympic medals in track and field, told some personal stories of adversity while she was growing up.

But with a great support team around her including coaches who saw the greatness in her, she was able to keep a steady focus on where she wanted to take her life.

“In life, sometimes we are faced with real difficult circumstances out of our control,” Joyner-Kersee said. “Losing my mom unexpectedly when I was a freshman in college was really challenging on so many levels. It was a difficult thing for me to deal with. But, I had a great support team around me that helped me to navigate and get through.”Joyner-Kersee said.

Joyner-Kersee talked to attendees about the importance of working together as a team.

“When you are trying to win a state or national title, every point counts. Everybody has to depend on each other. You have to be behind one another. It’s OK to disagree, but in the end, ‘How do we work together towards accomplishing the same goal?’” 

Asked about the spotlight women’s sports is getting now, Joyner-Kersee said, “The time for girls and women is now. There are opportunities now that were not there when I was competing. People are truly appreciating the talent pool that’s out there. We want them to know this is something they should fully take advantage of.” 

The former Olympian addressed the issue of risk taking.

“Peers want you to try things. If you know you are not a drinker or a smoker and you do something that you don’t do, that is a risk being an athlete,” she said.

Joyner-Kersee praised the girls and women who attended the two-hour event on Feb. 25.

“A lot of them weren’t even born when I was competing. To have Harris-Stowe (State University) students there, Washington University students, the track girls from East St. Louis Senior High and to have our tiny tots ... They were really opening up, listening to me and others. 

Joyner-Kersee said she is not trying to get all of them to be great athletes, but she does want to be great human beings.

“If they are great human beings, they will do great things in life,” Joyner-Kersee said.

Praise for JJK and her center

Turley said her daughter, Je’anah Reed, is doing well with school, has great social skills and makes good choices, which are all things she has learned since attending the JJK Center, which is located off North 26th Street.

Je’anah, when asked for her thoughts on the day, said, “I think it was beautiful and we learned you never give up on the things that you love to do.”

Je’anah said she wants to be like JJK.

“I want to make her proud of me. I love track. I like to run. I want to be as great as her. I want to try to be better than her,” she said. “I am going to work real hard. I want to make Miss Jackie proud of me.”

One of the assistant coaches from East St. Louis Senior High School, Phebe Washington, said, “Today was a great session for the young ladies. They were able to see lots of other athletes. They learned that their decisions are important. Any decisions they make, they have to listen to their instincts and make smart decisions, choices.” 

“For them to see the woman who was born in East St. Louis , who grew up in East St. Louis, who went on to be labeled the greatest female athlete in the world, they were really excited,” Washington said.

Washington said she is happy that women are getting a bigger look when it comes to sports than they ever have. “We all can start. We all can finish,” she said in talking about both men and women in sports.

She wants to see equity in both men and women’s sports.

Another assistant track coach from East St. Louis Senior High School, Nicolle Thompson, said she went to Lincoln Senior High School in East St. Louis and then followed JJK and went to UCLA and ran track. She considers JJK as her mentor. And, she likes how, 25 years after she finished her competitive career, she came home to give back to the community where it all started for her.

“She loves East St. Louis and wants to make a difference for the children who are here ... And she is doing that,” Thompson said.

“Hearing Jackie speak, give them confidence and encouragement was awesome,” Thompson said. 

“I always feel like Jackie is the greatest and she cares about all of us doing our very best. I am proud she came home to make sure her legacy lives on and to encourage all of the children to go out there and live their dreams,” Thompson said.

Lecia Rives, chief operating officer of the JJK Center, said the girls and young women who came to the event got a lot of substance to carry with them in life.

“They saw some who looks likes them, who went through challenges like many of them are going through, but who did not quit or give up. She put in the work and became one of the best to ever compete. They all know they can accomplish their goals with confidence, focus, and discipline.”

Joyner-Kersee, who won three gold medals in her Olympic career, gave this advice:

“Sportsmanship means working together, winning or losing with grace, and respecting your fellow teammate or competitors. Not everybody can win. But everyone must understand if they work hard, give 100 percent, they will still come out victorious.” 

This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM.