Rising to the top: K-State track and field greats, coaches share winning advice
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017
MANHATTAN — Olympians and Olympic coaches from Kansas State University will take part in the panel discussion "Secrets of Success," sponsored by the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Advisory Board, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in Room 227 at the K-State Student Union.
Free and open to the public, the panel discussion is a prelude to the advisory board's Women's History Month lecture, "Dare to Dream," by Olympic track and field champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee in March.
Panelists for "Secrets of Success" include the following K-Staters: Cliff Rovelto, head coach of the university's track and field team, a 2016 Olympic track and field coach and a women's outdoor track national coach of the year; Nathan Leeper, a 2000 U.S. Olympic team member in the high jump; Alyx Treasure, a 2016 Canadian Olympic team member in the high jump; Karol Rovelto, a 2000 U.S. Olympic team member in the high jump; and Jeff Julmis, a 2012 and 2016 Haiti Olympic team member in the 110-meter hurdles. Gwen Wentland-Mikinski, a 2012 Olympic track and field coach, will moderate the panel.
Tickets for the March 16 dinner and lecture by Joyner-Kersee are $75 and can be reserved online at www.found.ksu.edu/rsvp/jjk or by calling 785-532-7093. This event raises scholarships funds for students in the gender, women, and sexuality studies department, which is in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Joyner-Kersee, who was named Sports Illustrated's "Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century, won three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals during her track and field career. Named a Humanitarian of the Year, Joyner-Kersee is known worldwide for her interest in aiding others. She helped build the Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation in her hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois, which has raised more than $12 million. In 2007, she along with several notable athletes, founded Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization of professional athletes who get involved in charitable causes and inspire millions of nonathletes to volunteer and support their community.
Joyner-Kersee also is the author of "A Kind of Grace," in which she recounts how she overcame her difficult years to rise to the top.
