From Olympic stardom to a highly-publicized downfall to her quest seeking forgiveness and redemption — Marion Jones will share all those aspects of her story.
Jones, the former U.S. track and field star, will be one of the keynote speakers who will take part in the inaugural Complete Champion Coaching Symposium on Oct. 20 at the Langley Events Centre.
The event is being organized by Trinity Western University and presented by The Festal Cafe.
Jones won five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games but was later stripped of those medals for her usage of performance enhancing drugs. She would also spend six months in jail.
Jones, the author of On the Right Track: From Olympic Downfall to Finding Forgiveness and the Strength to Overcome and Succeed, will be one of 30 guest speakers taking part in the daylong symposium. The symposium will target leaders in sport and the community.
At the core of her message in both her book and her speaking engagements, she discusses “learning to grow through pain; making decisions that will help us far into the future; overcoming failure and discouragement; and applying practical principles that point the way to personal and spiritual breakthrough.”
“What I appreciate about Marion’s story is her response to her terrible choices,” said Spartans athletic director Jeff Gamache. “She came clean, took responsibility for her actions, paid a significant price that was a consequence for her choices and is now spending her time sharing with youth and coaches about the devastating consequences of drugs and poor choices.
“We can all resonate with having made poor choices and our legacy is created when we choose how to deal with these choices. Marion did not run away and hide and she is not feeling sorry for herself. She has chosen to find a way to give back to society. I believe her story of redemption will resonate with many people who have needed to face their poor choices and decide what their future life will look like.”
Jones, who was recently interviewed on Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650, will aim deliver this message to coaches, leaders, athletes and parents at the Complete Champion Coaching Symposium.
“A lot of people know me because of my athletic accomplishments and a lot of people know me because of the poor choices that I made,” Jones said on Sportsnet 650. “I try to give people hope. At some point in all of our lives, we make poor choices and sometimes it’s hard to bounce back from those. It doesn’t matter who you are…if you make a poor choice, there is a way for you to bounce back.
“I think why my story resonates so well with people is because…everybody can say at some point in their lives that things have been hard. It could be a divorce, or it could be a death in the family or a loss of a job or just a darn poor choice that you made in your life. Everybody…wants to have some tools as to how to bounce back.”
For Jones, it was during her imprisonment and in the time following when she “found her way.”
“There were moments certainly while I was locked up when I didn’t think I would be able to bounce back,” she said. “There were a lot of tears shed. There were moments where I was like, ‘I give up.’ But thankfully, I had faith in God and faith that I was put here on this earth for something more than just running fast. Once I realized that, things started to look up for me. I realized that…I have this ability to connect with people and motivate and inspire people.”
Also joining Jones as a keynote speaker will be Trevor Ragan, the founder of Train Ugly — an organization seeking to discover and share the science of learning and development.
Along with Jones and Ragan, the Symposium will also feature, amongst others, Gareth Rees, who was the first North American inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, and Andrea Neil, who is a member of Canada Soccer’s All-Time XI Women’s Team.
The doors open at 8:15 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m. and lunch is provided.
Jones speaks from 9 to 9:45 a.m. and Ragan will present from 2:20 to 3 p.m.
The early bird ticket prices are $155 (deadline Oct. 13) and the regular price is $185. Student prices (with ID) are $95.
To register, click here.
