Jones Set to Open Olympic Competition

NORMAN, Okla. -- In the first few days of the Olympic Games in Athens, many athletes have talked about how making the 2004 Olympic Games was the fulfillment of a dream that began at a very young age.

For OU sprinter Laverne Jones, the dream only started a few years ago because the St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, native didn't begin competing in track and field until she was a junior in high school. Less than seven years later, Jones found herself in Athens, preparing to compete in the 100- and 200-meter dash events and serving as the flag bearer for the Virgin Islands' team during opening ceremonies.

The Sooner school record holder in the indoor 60, indoor 200, outdoor 100 and outdoor 200 and six-time NCAA All-American sat still long enough to answer some questions about her career before she left for Athens.

Q: When did you start running track and what drew you to the sport?
A: I started when I was a junior in high school because all my friends were doing things after school and I wanted something to do. My older brother, Stephen, was a runner on the track team at a different high school than I attended. I joined our team, then quit and then the coach at Stephen's school talked to my mom about me coming there to run. I just did it for fun.

Q: How did you end up at OU?
A: One of my high school coaches knew someone at Barton and I went there. I never thought about how far sports could take me or that it could be a way to pay for college. I was serious about practice but I really was running to get a degree. For me, it was a way to pay my way to college so I could become a teacher. I earned All-America honors at Barton and I was like a sponge, just soaking up everything I could learn.

Q: When did you begin to realize what your running talent could do for you?
A: When I got to OU, Coach A (OU sprint coach Shanon Atkinson) helped me understand how much potential I had. He also helped me learn how to set goals. I wasn't into times in high school or at Barton. I just went out and ran and accepted whatever happened. Coach A helped me learn to set goals. He helped me see that I had talent, that I was working hard and this could turn into something really special. Barton opened the door for me but the experience at OU got me through the door and to the Olympics.

After I set the OU school record during the 2003 indoor season and earned All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor, things really began to click for me. I began to see that really special things could happen for me because I was working hard, training hard and had been blessed with talent. I also was on a team at OU with other runners who had experienced a lot of success at the national and international level. At first, I didn't think I could be as good as they were but with a lot of hard work, things began to fall into place.

Q: When did it hit you that you would be in Athens this summer?
A: I knew I had met the Olympic “A” standard and I began thinking about it as a possibility after the indoor season this year. I had repeated as an All-American in the 60 and 200 and had set the indoor 60 school record. Right before the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, I was notified that the Virgin Islands' Olympic Committee had been keeping an eye on me. That's when it really began to become a reality that I would go to the Olympic Games to represent my country.

Q: What does it mean to you to represent your country in Athens?
A: I had run in the CAC Games as a member of the Virgin Islands' team after my junior year at OU and I wasn't happy with how I had performed. I made the finals but I still wasn't happy with my finish. I saw this as an opportunity to represent the Virgin Islands in a better way, to do it for where I was born and raised.

Q: At the end of June, you were invited to an elite meet in Provo, Utah, and eventually finished third in the 100. What did you learn from that experience?
A: I was running with world class athletes and some of them had competed in the Olympics before. I realized that they have the same blood as me and that I don't have to be scared. I'm still in awe of all that has happened and still have a hard time believing it is really happening to me. Hopefully, this is just a start.

Q: What's your competition schedule in Athens?
A: (After opening her planner to August) The prelims of the 100 are on August 20 and the quarterfinals are later that day. The semifinals and finals are on August 21. The first two rounds of the 200 are on August 23 with the semifinal on August 24 and the final on August 25. My goal is to make it through the rounds to the final, and if I make the finals, I plan to run to win.

Q: When you step to the start line for the first time, what will you be thinking about?
A: I know that God got me to the start line at the Olympics for a reason. I will ask God to use me, to let me be strong and powerful. I also will be thinking about the people who helped me get here, the people I run for -- my family, Coach A and my boyfriend.

Q: When you step on the track, you will become the first female Olympian from the OU track and field program. What does that mean to you?
A: I'm amazed at everything that has happened since I came to OU ... breaking the records, earning All-America honors and representing OU at the Olympics. I am so happy about how all this has turned out and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Records may be broken but I will always be known as the first. I am very humbled by that.

Q: What would you tell young runners who are just starting their journeys?
A: Don't be afraid to try something new and be dedicated to whatever you try. Track and field was a new experience for me. I was given the opportunity and I took the chance. It has gotten me so far and given me so much. Don't limit yourself.

Q: How do you see yourself as compared to other Olympic sprinters?
A: I'm taller than most women sprinters. I have a lot of strength which is what allows me to run the 100 and the 200. It also helps me when there are multiple races in a single day. I run with a fast turnover. There is less knee lift for me as a taller person and I can take shorter strides. I watched the U.S. Trials as a fan. I also watched them run because they will be my competitors. I also learn from watching other people run.

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Competition Schedule for Sooner Runners at the Olympics
(times listed are local to Athens, Greece, and are subject to change)

Laverne Jones, Virgin Islands
100: First round, Friday, 10:50 a.m.; Quarterfinal, Friday, 8:05 p.m.; Semifinal, Saturday, 8:20 p.m.; Final, Saturday, 10:55 p.m.

200: First round, Monday, 8:25 p.m.; Semifinal, Tuesday, 10:05 p.m.; Final, Wednesday, 11:20 p.m.

Michael Blackwood, Jamaica
400: First round, Friday, 9:20 p.m.; Semifinal, Saturday, 9:15 p.m.; Final, Monday, 9:05 p.m.

4 x 400 Relay: First round, 9 p.m., Friday, August 27; Final, Saturday, August 28, 10:25 p.m.

Danny McFarlane, Jamaica
400 Intermediate Hurdles: First round, Monday, 7:30 p.m.; Semifinal, Tuesday, 9:05 p.m.; Final, Thursday, 10:30 p.m.

The Rest of the Sooners

Michael Blackwood won the 400-meter title at the 2004 Jamaican National Senior Championship, finishing with a 45.60. Blackwood was the top-ranked 400-meter runner in the world in 2002 and was a five-time All-American for the Sooners. Blackwood earned a bronze medal as a member of Jamaica's 1600-meter relay at the 2000 Olympics. He ended his two-year OU career in 2000.

Danny McFarlane won the 400-meter intermediate hurdle title at the 2004 Jamaican National Senior Championship with a 48.95. McFarlane was a member of the Jamaican Olympic team in 2000. He finished eighth in the 400 and earned a bronze medal as a member of the 1600-meter relay team. He made the switch from the sprint events to the hurdles over the last two years. McFarlane was an eight-time All-American while competing for the Sooners. He finished his OU career in 1997.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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