Athletes Work Out at Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet

Teams and individuals from seven states participated in the Rochelle
Stevens Invitational Track Meet on May 28. (Courtesy photos)

More than 30,000 athletes have participated in the Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet in Memphis since 1990, and hundreds of them have earned scholarships, Stevens said.

On Saturday, May 28, athletes from two-to-75 years old competed for prizes in track and field at St. George’s Independent School, a private campus at 1880 Wolf River Blvd. in Collierville, Tenn., a suburb outside of Memphis.

Stevens, who earned her Ph.D. in Christian Education, kicked off the track meet after COVID-19 protocols sidelined the annual event, which drew 600 to a thousand spectators to the stands at prior track meets. 

“When 2020 hit…and the track meet was shut down, I didn’t want to be left completely out without being a blessing to the athletes regionally,” said Stevens, an Olympic gold and silver medalist in track and field in 1992 and 1996.

Lowe’s Home Improvement donated 40 laptops that year and Stevens purchased 20 iPads and gifted them to the top performing athletes “who would have participated in my track meet.” 

Athletes who were inactive during the pandemic were gung-ho about participating this year, said Stevens, after calling on them to participate in the 30th Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet. 

The track meet is certified and exposes high school athletes to college recruiters and formal track competitions. It also qualifies them for the Junior Olympics, Senior Olympics, and Olympic trials.

The two-year hiatus only fueled the athletes’ desire to return to competition. Stevens said teams came from seven states to participate: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and, of course, Tennessee. 

“We have teams and individuals that come in every year from those states to compete between the ages of two and 75 years old,” said Stevens, including dozens of state finalists, state medalists, and state champions that she’s recruited to LeMoyne-Owen College as head men and women track and field coach.

Her top recruits were in the city competing in the track meet as well, running relays to sharpen their skills and meeting and greeting each other before the fall season commences at LOC: 

Jermaine Dodson, an All American and TSSAA state runner-up last year in the 100 meters and 200 meters, from Melrose High School in Memphis.

There were events for younger kids
as well, including the long jump.

Xavier Haley, a state finalist in three events, from Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Tenn.

Charlize Williams, a finalist in the shot put, from Trezevant High School in Memphis.

Nyla Walker, a district finalist, from Melrose High School in Memphis.

Kimona Haynes, a state champion, from Jim Hill High School in Jackson, Miss.

Lajarius M. Youngblood, a three-time state champion, from Columbia High School in Columbia, Miss.

Jalen Jones, a two-time state champion, from DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss.

And Patrina Rogers, from Kirby High School in Memphis, in addition to six state finalists from Florida.

“All the Tennessee kids qualified to go to the state, except one. That’s not bad,” said Stevens, excited about building the team. “I’m sitting on 15 state finalists.”

For the two-to-5-year-olds who have yet to make their mark in track and field, the 50-meter dash was a starter and commensurate with their age. But athletes six and up were able to participate in all the other events, Stevens said. 

Ribbons and medals went to the top six finishers in each track and field event.

The Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet is considered one of the largest independent track meets in the South, Stevens said.

“We’re not associated with the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), a multi-sport organization, or the USA Track & Field,” the governing body for track and field. 

“I am an independent organization that brings athletes together from all walks of life,” she pointed out. 

The track meet presents a wellspring of opportunities for young athletes, “like the ones I had when I was at Melrose High School,” Stevens'
alma mater.

“That’s how I basically got my 20 offers… [It] was because of programs like mine,” she said. “The program was ended and that’s why I started the Rochelle Stevens Invitational Track Meet.”

Replaced 1956 bronze medal just as golden for Olympian Margaret Matthews-Wilburn

After Margaret Matthews-Wilburn won the bronze medal in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, for the 4x100-meter relay, she was swept up in euphoria.

That glorious moment in Melbourne would turn to sadness decades later when Matthews-Wilburn discovered her bronze medal missing after speaking to students and showing them her prized medal during a school assembly.

“I didn’t know for several weeks that it was missing,” she said.

Front row (l to r): Dr. Rochelle Stevens, Margaret
Matthews-Wilburn and the Rev. Beatrice Holloway.
Back row: Donavan Ellison and Martin A. Truitt.
(Courtesy photos)

The bronze medal had vanished. But Matthews-Wilburn’s stupendous achievement and coveted bronze medal would not be lost to the ages, thanks to her goddaughter, Dr. Rochelle Stevens, a two-time Olympic gold and silver medalist.

“I was devastated to hear what had happened. I was like, ‘You never told me,’” said Stevens, who learned that Matthews-Wilburn’s bronze medal was missing when the two Olympians were interviewed for a television show.

On Dec. 23, Stevens surprised the legendary track star with a replacement bronze medal that arrived in time for a surprised medal ceremony at Word of Life Healing Ministry, where the Rev. Beatrice Holloway is senior pastor.

Holloway is Stevens’ mother and her former Olympic coach.

“Thirty years is a long time to be without my medal. It is so precious to me now,” said Matthews-Wilburn, who sprinted to a third-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay with teammates Mae Faggs, Wilma Rudolph and Isabelle Daniels.

Stevens knew how important the bronze medal had been to Matthews-Wilburn, who was 21 when that special moment in Melbourne was indelibly etched in the history books.

That’s why Stevens contacted Cindy Stinger of the United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland. While the glory days in track and field are gone, the bronze medal had been a source of pride for Matthews-Wilburn, a member of the famed Tigerbelle Sports Club at Tennessee State University.

“She’d never requested another medal or reported it missing,” said Stevens, compelled to do something without tipping off Matthews-Wilburn. “She said, ‘If I could get a duplicate…it doesn’t have to be the real thing, I would be happy.’”

Presenting the bronze medal to Margaret
Matthews-Wilburn.

Stevens requested a replacement medal in January. “They told us that it would take six to 12 weeks,” she said.

After an 11-month investigation, IOC voted to replace the bronze medal. The United Parcel Services delivered the replacement medal in December.

“We got it back and I thank God for Rochelle. It took a lot of effort,” said Matthews-Wilburn, choosing to rave about Stevens’ exploits on and off the field rather than talk about her on.

“Rochelle is a special person,” she said.

While it seems Matthews-Wilburn is downplaying her achievements, Rudolph spoke highly of her teammate’s athletic prowess on the field in a 1988 Sports Illustrated story that Ralph Wiley wrote entitled “Born to be a Champion.”

Wiley captured the heart and soul of the formidable Wilburns, a family of athletes: Barry Wilburn, cornerback for the Washington Redskins’ 1988 Super Bowl team; Kelvin Wilburn, who played cornerback for one year at TSU; their father, Jesse Wilburn, a star running back for TSU; and, of course, Matthews-Wilburn, a sprinter and the first American woman to leap a record 20 feet in the broad jump in 1957.   

Rudolph spoke highly about Matthews-Wilburn’s athleticism in Wiley’s story: “She could beat anybody on a given day, and she let you know the day might be today.”

A native of Griffin, Ga., Matthews-Wilburn was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. She is a retired educator in Memphis.

After returning home from the ceremony, Matthews-Wilburn found herself at peace. “I slept with it [bronze medal] on my pillow,” she said.

Olympian Rochelle Stevens pens book about her journey in track and field

Rochelle Stevens has been running most of her life – not from something or someone, but toward a goal that eventually materialized at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., where she won a goal medal in track and field and a silver medal in the same event at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Add to that Stevens’ “drive to strive,” the challenges she faced while pursuing her Olympic dream, the perceptions about success in track and field, and you’ll get the entrepreneur and philanthropist who has written about her journey in a recently self-published book entitled “Travel the World by Foot.”

Rochelle Stevens

 “I didn’t realize that my dream would take me all over the world,” said Stevens, who decided to write about her Olympic experience and travels to over 50 countries after returning from a Christian conference in San Diego, Calif., that was hosted by Michael Dean "Mike" Murdock, a contemporary Christian singer/songwriter, televangelist and pastor.

 “I was motivated by his presentation,” said Stevens, who was compelled to capture her historic journey in print for posterity. “I felt that I needed to share my Olympic experience, knowledge and wisdom with young people who aspire to become athletes as well.”

On less than 100 pages under 15 chapters, Stevens rolls out her life story, which she juxtaposes with photos at the onset of her career, photos of the races she competed in, photos after she medaled, and photos of her community service. The book is essentially a documentary in words and photos.

 “I wanted to share the challenges and perceptions and the pre-judgment that go along with it (being an Olympian),” Stevens said. “People automatically assume that sometimes you don’t have to work as hard to accomplish your goals.”

Nothing comes easy in life without working hard at it, added Stevens, who first blazed a path in track and field at Melrose High School, her alma mater, and then at Morgan State University while she was on a full track scholarship.

At Morgan State, Stevens earned a B.S. degree in telecommunications and sales and then went on to receive an M.S. degree in public relations from Columbus University. She is shy of finishing the requirements for a doctorate.

There is tidbit information in the book about each country Stevens has traveled and other information that some people may not be familiar with, such as the group she called her dream team, which consisted of her training partners, sports agent, weightlifting coach, and even the two women who manicured her nails.

Although a team was taut, someone was there at every turn to help prepare Stevens to cross the finish line. That someone was Beatrice Holloway, a.k.a “Coach Mom,” who had been a college track star.

“It’s important to have your own support team,” said Stevens. “It takes more than one person to help some dreams come true. You need to find that mentor or role model that you want to be like. And then you find people who have the same interest you have that can help you to pursue your dream.”

Stevens is a role model and mentor to many young, aspiring athletes looking for a pathway to success. Shortly after hanging up her running shoes, Stevens started hosting the Rochelle Stevens Invitation Track Meet. Twenty-six years later, more than 10,000 athletes put their best foot forward to impress college coaches, scouts and recruiters.

“Track and field has come a long way,” said Stevens, who cheered on the home team in track and field at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. “Some of these people are running to break our records. They’re chasing after the dreams that we put in place.”

 (For more information about “Travel the World by Foot,” email rochelledayspa@gmail.com or go to www.traeltheworldbyfoot.com)