Lolo Jones catches us up on what she's been up to during her brief but well-deserved holiday.
Hi again,
Refreshed after an end-of-season break it seems a long time since by last IAAF diary piece. I’ve been away for a short break to Jamaica and then to Las Vegas but my main vacation was in Brazil. We stayed on the island on Florianopolis and it was very laid back and a good place to surf. I’d never been to Brazil before and it was just what I needed, a totally relaxing holiday, after the constant flow of media demands since Beijing.
I returned to training about a week ago and, surprisingly, it has so far gone better than expected. Normally when in my off-season I’m on the couch eating junk food and watching TV for a month, but because it was Olympic year I’ve never stopped. I actually took a month and a half off which was more than usual, but I think because I was rushing around with speaking and media engagements I managed to keep the weight off and started training again having lost some weight!
I feel invigorated for the next year and I’m really looking forward to the World Championships in Berlin. Germany is one of my favourite places to run because their crowds are pretty wild and so knowledgeable about athletics.
I’ve also managed to pick up a couple of sponsors since the Olympic Games and I’m featured in a commercial for a mattress company. They have used my name to sell Low Low prices - instead of Lolo - and the commercial is going to be shown in the southern states, which I’m pretty excited about. They have also given me a beautiful mattress, which is supposed to put the air back into your body. It is worth around $10,000 and is the most expensive mattress I’ve ever had!
I’m also going to Japan in December where my sponsors, Asics, are going to mould me a specific custom made pair of Lolo shoes. I’m so excited by the project because I have really high arches and my feet are so slender and narrow people call by feet skis. The colour? Well, I don’t know yet but Asics switch up their colours from hot pink to gold, so we’ll just have to see.
As for now it is back to the hard slog of training and back out for the indoor season. I hope to start competing again in early February, although I’m undecided about whether to do the US indoor circuit for the first time or the European indoor circuit, which I love.
Lolo
Source: IAAF
Back from a disappointing finish at the Beijing Olympics LoLo Jones keeps her champion spirit alive by spending time with kids at the House of Mercy in Des Moines.
The World Indoor 60m hurdles champion, who shot to worldwide fame when she tripped on a hurdle whilst leading the Olympic final in Beijing, tells spikesmag.com about the tough disjointed upbringing that formed the basis of her success as an elite athlete.
“My mum was pretty broke all the time and moved around from job to job while my dad was in and out of prison. My mum had five kids to look after and would take a temporary job and we often could not afford to pay the rent. We moved around so much I lived in eight houses in eight years.
“My mum always made sure we had food in our bellies. She had a part college education, so took secretarial jobs but they were often temporary jobs
“My dad may have been in and out of jail but he was a very good father when he was around. We would see him one year and then he would not be around for three. As a kid you don’t know that’s not regular. We would visit him to jail but often never know the reason why he was in.
“For a spell we were homeless and so lived in the basement of a church. When day camps were offered at church I woke up early to avoid being teased be the other kids in case they found out I was living in a basement.
“I was always very independent, a real bookworm but I was always involved in sport. I started off playing basketball and started my athletics life in sixth grade as a long distance runner.
“At High School I was always very academic and I had the chance of an academic scholarship in science but it conflicted with my athletics. If you asked me to choose between a science competition and a track meeting, I would always run at the track meet. I saw track as the way I could get an education and a free scholarship.
“I’m very close to my sister and all my siblings were pretty athletic they just had other distractions and could not keep their focus at school.
“I played the violin and cello but often could not keep practicing because of my other interests. I still play now but just for recreation.
“My mum wanted to move to Forest City in Iowa but I would not leave my High School because Forest City did not have a track. I lived with four families in four years to pursue my track and field career and my mum was totally supportive.
“It was hard living with different families. I had to become accustomed to their rules and sometimes it could be very strained, particularly as I was a teenager at the time.
“My mum is also called Lori like me, I get called Lolo to avoid any confusion. She is very proud of me but I’m sure she would be proud of me whatever I would have done in my life.
"Athletics has saved my life in three ways. First it has got me out of poverty. Second it has got me a free education, and third it has become one of the joys of my life. Even when I'm working out and being sick I enjoy it. I love pushing my body to the limits of what it's capable of."
Source: Spikes Magazine
By Pat Shaver
About 250 middle school students representing 46 schools attended the Super-Power Summit at the Polk County Convention Complex on Wednesday, an all-day event aimed at teaching them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
And guess who had them jumping and stretching?
"You only get one body to live your life in, and you have to get out and be active," said Olympic athlete Lolo Jones, keynote speaker of the event.
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Before she spoke, Jones taught the kids a few different exercises.
"I run track, and I'm a little tired," she said after the exercises.
Jones compared the body to a race car. Drivers, she said, fill up their cars with premium gas and don't leave the car in the garage until the day of the race.
Each school had two to nine students at the event.
Carrie Scheidel, a member of Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids, which helped plan and fund the event, said the goal was for the students to take what they learned back to their peers.
"Middle school kids have a lot of pressures. Nutrition and physical activity can really help them shine," Scheidel said.
Each school that attended is eligible to apply for a grant for up to $1,500. Scheidel said the students will meet with a teacher and come up with a wellness plan for their school and then apply for the grant.
The hope is for the students to create small changes that they can keep going over the school year, Scheidel said. The grants are funded by the Midwest Dairy Council, Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids and the Iowa Department of Education.
Jayde Murray, 13, from Goodrell Middle School, said she is going to try to get her friends and family to exercise more, and avoid fast food.
"I was excited to hear about what else you could do to exercise, and you can get more energetic from eating fruits and vegetables," Murray said.
Nicole Gibson, 13, and Colby Knight, 14, from Urbandale Middle School, hope to influence their peers to get outside and eat healthy.
"If you give up a short-term pleasure for long-term gain, it can help you be a better athlete," Gibson said.
Jones said her favorite foods were chicken wings, baby carrots and cottage cheese. Her hero is her assistant Kim, who used to run track and has always been an inspiration.
"Just because you're from Iowa doesn't mean you can't be a superstar at the national level," Jones said. "That never deterred me from my dreams. I never gave up."
Source: The Des Moines Register
By Pat Curtis
Olympian Lolo Jones talks with kids in Des Moines.Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, who grew up in Des Moines, made her first public appearances in Iowa Wednesday since her agonizing exit from the summer games.
Jones paid a visit to a Des Moines inner-city shelter for women and children. She posed for pictures, handed out plastic gold medals to the kids and even participated in a sack race...which she won.
"Yeah, ya know, I finally pulled off a victory, so I'm excited about that," Jones joked after crossing the finish line. "Can I please have my medal?" In Beijing this summer, Jones had a commanding lead in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, before she clipped one of the last hurdles and stumbled to a 7th place finish.
It was a painful moment, but Jones says it's made her a stronger person. The mistake likely cost Jones from landing millions of dollars worth of endorsements. "(Winning the Olympics) would have been life-changing for me, but instead of life-changing in bank deposits, it's life-changing in character lessons. I'll take that," Jones said. The 26-year-old Jones is planning another Olympic run in 2012.
Lolo Jones competes in sack race."Hurdlers normally peak between the ages of 28 to 33. I'll turn 30 that summer, so I'll be in my prime," Jones said. A public ceremony to honor Jones is scheduled for Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.
Listen to a short interview here.
Source: Radio Iowa
Taken at a kid charity event in Des Moines on October 8, 2008
