As a track and field star at LSU from 2001-2004, Lolo Jones looked forward to the LSU Alumni Gold Meet and competing against some of the professionals who gave LSU the tradition of strong athletes it still carries today.
“This meet was just one of those rare chances you had to run against a professional,” Jones said. “When I was here as a student-athlete, I was excited to have the opportunity to run against Joyce Bates, who was a NCAA champion at LSU.”
After becoming an 11-time All-American and three-time national champion in her four years at LSU, Jones finds herself on the other side of the table at this weekend’s alumni meet.
On Saturday, current Tigers Jessica Ohanaja and Angel Boyd will have their chance against Jones in the 100-meter hurdles.
The meet will be the last at home this season for the Tigers and will feature Jones and several other former LSU athletes who went on to run professionally and in the Olympics.
While warming up for the meet, Jones said she noticed the team joking around with each other and it made her reminisce on her own experiences and relationships at the college level and realize how much she misses it.
“Since I’m on the professional level, I don’t have a team. I run for myself,” Jones said. “I train with five people, and we all might be in a different country on the same day. As a team they travel together, they bond together; and that’s the things I miss.”
Those five people she trains with are a part of Team Nike. Jones has been running for Nike since her eligibility ended in Spring 2004.
Although she misses college, Jones said, she is happy to be making a living doing what she loves and looks forward toward the future.
“This is not an Olympic year, and they are not holding the World Championships, but you still have a chance to make some good money,” Jones said. “My goals this year basically are to have a [personal record] and make good money.”
Good money as in the cash she brought in this past year as a professional rookie on the track.
With those professional winnings and impressive career accolades, Jones could have trained with anyone, anywhere in the world, but instead remains in Baton Rouge.,partly because of the constant access to the LSU facilities, but mostly because of one person.
“I stay for my coach [Shaver], because I know nobody is going to care more about how I’m running than he is,” Jones said,
While staying in Baton Rouge, Jones admits she has come a long way from her LSU residence hall days.
“I bought a condo right after my rookie season,” Jones recalled. “I stepped my living conditions up, but I still have the same raggedy car so I’m keepin’ it real, kind of.”
While training in Baton Rouge, Jones routinely gets the chance to see the new generation of LSU runners.
After an uncharacteristic 24th-place finish in this past year’s NCAA outdoor championships, the women’s team has rebounded well and is ranked No. 7 in the nation.
“It took a year for the women to adjust, and now the stars are starting to come out,” said Jones. “They’re doing what we did when were at that stage. We took a year to adjust and then we won championships, and that’s what I see them doing.”
As far as how she feels about the men’s team, Jones said “The guys are just there already,”
Jones praised Xavier Carter who is fresh off his third SEC Runner of the Week honor this season and his second year at LSU.
“He just has raw talent,” Jones said. “There are so many things that he can improve on, but even if he doesn’t change those things, he’s still beating people at the top of their game. That’s what’s crazy.”
Saturday’s meet will bring future Tiger Olympians with current members, and Jones said although most people would expect the Olympians to dominate, the races should be extremely tight.
“Our season starts later than the college one, so they have gotten a couple races in,” Jones said. “This is our first race, so it’s not like it’ll be a blowout in either way; it’s just going to be good competition.”
 
Contact Jeff Martin at [email protected]