 "Photo: JOLIE DUHON / The Daily Reveille")
By the end of her LSU career in spring 2004, track and field standout Lolo Jones developed quite an impressive resume.
A three-time national champion and 11-time All-American, Jones finished her career ranked among the top three in LSU history in the 60 and 100-meter hurdles. Her name was mentioned among the best young hurdlers in the country, and with the upcoming Olympic Trials, things were looking optimistic.
Jones knew that if she qualified for the Olympics, a professional contract would likely follow, and she would be financially set for years to come. If only it were that easy.
At the Olympic trials
It was the 100-meter hurdle semifinal of the Olympic Trials, and Jones lined up next to track superstar Joanna Hayes, the woman who proceeded to win the gold medal in Athens with a record time of 12.37 seconds.
Jones exploded off the line faster than ever before, and midway through the race she realized she was running side by side with Hayes, one of the fastest women in the world. Through eight hurdles, and with two remaining, Jones knew a top-three finish was there for the taking. Then the unthinkable happened.
“We were neck and neck, and I was coming over the ninth and 10th hurdles,” Jones said. “My body literally was not ready to run that fast, and I couldn’t believe I was next to this girl who had the fastest time. I hit the ninth hurdle [with my foot], but I was still in third, which would have still sent me to the next round. But I couldn’t get over that 10th hurdle. I couldn’t maintain. And after that, it was lights out for me.”
Jones finished 10th in the event and missed her chance at qualifying for the Olympics. The light at the end of the professional tunnel also was growing dimmer and dimmer.
After receiving few phone calls throughout the summer, Jones’ agent told her that two companies were interested in potentially signing her to a contract. The first deal offered significantly less money but was essentially a guarantee and, at the very least, a step in the right direction. The second deal offered more money, but the details were unconvincing to coach Dennis Shaver.
Despite Shaver’s suggestion to accept, Jones rejected the first offer. Before she could accept the second deal, the offer collapsed because of complications with her agent. Jones and Shaver attempted to renegotiate the first companies’ initial offer, but the sponsoring party showed little interest.
“From there, it went to hell,” Jones said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more depressed in my life. It was the worst experience. Not only did I realize that I wasn’t going to have that money I was counting on, but I had to fire my agent. It was not a good situation.”
Praying for a chance
Jones began working at a local gym to support herself. She bought groceries with her credit card because she had no cash. At one point she considered applying for food stamps to help get through the day.
“I was broke,” Jones said. “I literally was putting groceries on credit cards. I had no money. I don’t know what happened. The money just was not there.”
In a time she describes as the most depressing of her life, Jones said she turned to the one thing she had left — her relationship with God. She said she often spent up to four days a week in the church, praying for a way to get through the rough times.
“That was literally all I had,” Jones said. “I thought I was losing my mind. There would be times when I would go to church four times out of the week. I was practically living in churches. It wasn’t even my church; I went to any church, just to get a peace of mind.”
Then one day her prayers were answered. Her new agent entered her in a meet in Stuttgart, Germany. Before she knew it, she was flying overseas with a pair of ragged Nike track shoes and the knowledge of the enormous task that lie ahead. Jones knew her first race in Germany was the most important — a poor showing could spell the end of her career.
“I tried not to think about it,” Jones said. “But I’d been thinking about it for months. I wanted to prove a lot of people wrong. I wanted to let them know that they shouldn’t have put me on the backburner.”
In her first event Jones lined up against professional athletes from across the world who were living the life she dreamed about. It was simple — establish a name for herself by proving she belonged with the best, or go back to Louisiana and wait for the phone call that might not come.
The obstacles were stacked high in front of her in the form of 10 3 1/2 foot hurdles, and Jones knew that if she was going to make an impression, she needed to finish inside the top three.
She finished second in the event, faster than any other American in the field.
The contract
When she returned to Louisiana her agent’s phone had been ringing off the hook. Shoe companies were lining up in the hopes of jumping on the Lolo Jones bandwagon. This time the deal did not fall through — she signed a three-year deal with Nike worth significantly more than any of her previous offers.
Shaver, who served as the mediator between Jones and the shoe companies, said he never let the shoe representatives forget about her. After placing second in Germany, no one did.
“During the summer, she kept finding a way,” Shaver said. “It was a miracle to me that she was able to do well in school, continue to work to try to support herself, as well as train to run what would be her best times of the year. Once she did that, it was pretty simple. Then they understood a little bit more about what I was talking about.”
With her new contract, Jones no longer had to worry about negative account balances or endless monthly bills. She could afford to buy groceries. She could pay off her credit cards. And she could throw away those ratty old shoes.
“Last fall, nothing was going right,” Jones said. “My shoes had holes in them and I said, ‘It has to get better than this’. Now I get shoes by the boxes.”
Be the first to comment on this article!