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From Essence

Things haven’t always been easy for track and field star Lolo Jones.  After missing out on a medal at two consecutive Olympic games, Jones is turning over a new leaf.  She’s the newest member of the U.S. national bobsled team and has hopes that this new venture will earn her a spot on the winner’s podium at the 2014 Winter Games.  Here, Jones talks about how she’s reinventing herself and empowering others to do the same.

On learning her new sport, bobsledding:

At first I thought bobsled was just going to be something fun and refreshing for me, so I’m shocked that I really do love it a lot. I’m so passionate about track, so I never imagined that I would ever say I’m really passionate about bobsled, too. I’m shocked at how much it has helped me get stronger not only physically, but mentally as well. It’s done wonders.

On rumors that she’s just “desperate” for an Olympic medal:

They completely took my words out of context. When I heard those rumors, I was pretty frustrated because it was like here we go again with things being taken out of context. If you’re pursing an Olympic sport, who’s not trying to get a medal? I just stated the obvious and I said I was desperate but it was said in much more joking way.

You can check more of the Lolo Jones interview out over on Essence.  She discusses where track fits in her life, her spirituality and her new “Degree” campaign.

Photo by Donald Traill/Invision/AP Images

Here’s a little twist on the reality show game. According to the Huffington Post,  Jamaican-American Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross and her football-playing husband Aaron Ross have signed on for a reality show.

She competes internationally for the United States, and has won the Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2004 Olympics, the 2008 Olympic Games and in the London 2012 Olympics. He is a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguar. The couple met when they both attended the University of Texas.

Glam & Gold will be a summer series on the WE television network. The series will focus more on Richards-Ross. The series is already in the works–filming has begun in Austin and Jacksonville.

“My quest for Olympic gold wouldn’t have been possible without my family, who is behind me all the way! I am so looking forward to sharing our journey to grow our businesses and expand my career all while I try to keep my marriage first – something women can truly identify with,” said Richards-Ross is  a press statement (via Hello Beautiful).

There are only a few Olympic medalists who manage to make more of their career than their medal-winning achievements. FloJo, Carl Lewis, and Mary Lou Retton come to mind. But, increasingly, you are seeing Olympic athletes work hard to make the most of their two weeks of fame. Ryan Lochte would be an example. Let’s see if Richards-Ross can add her name to this short list.

Image: Hemera

-The Huffington Post takes a closer look at the deflating situation homeowners in foreclosure find themselves in. Back in February, the Obama administration and the nation’s five largest banks reached a $25 billion settlement to resolve “complaints of unlawful foreclosure practices.” Many say things haven’t changed despite the coming October deadline.

-Mitt Romney and President Obama are appealing to women and the working class  during their latest campaign stops. Romney attacked President Obama’s record on welfare.

-Feel like you’re working harder? The Labor Department says worker productivity was up 1.6 percent. That’s a modest figure, but if this keeps up, companies might have to hire. This is a bit of good news following the poor outlook of Monday’s jobs report.

-In Olympics news, Aly Raisman walked away with two more medals, a bronze on the balance beam and a gold medal on the floor exercise, making her the first American to win that individual competition. Gabby Douglas competed on the balance beam, but didn’t medal. Ever gracious, she said, “If it wasn’t my time to shine, it wasn’t my time to shine… I wanted to finish off on a good note. Event finals is something a little extra.” Love her.

Australia’s Sally Pearson beat out her American competitors to take the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles. Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells, both from the U.S., took silver and bronze respectively. Lolo Jones didn’t medal again, prompting these very sad comments. And now this. Ugh. Allyson Felix competes in the 200-meter race today.

-USA Today offers tips to avoid purchasing a used car that’s been in a wreck.

-Resources for small businesses, and particularly black-owned businesses, are hard to come by. But TIME‘s Gary Belsky makes the argument that it’s a worthy investment.

More on Madame Noire Business!

• The Number of Black-Owned Businesses, and the Need for Resources, Is Growing
• Are You Pinning? Pintrest for Individuals, Small Businesses, and Big Brands
• Sticker Shock! Five Tips to Help You Pay for College
• Are Black Businesses Suffering From an Undeserved Rep for Bad Customer Service?
• How to Tackle Office Enemies
• Small Business Spotlight: Sweet Treats You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty About

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are set to begin this week and many talented African Americans will be representing the United States during the games. Just being chosen to be an Olympian is an honor in and of itself, but it’s especially a moment of honor to have so many blacks carry on the legacy of legendary Olympians like Florence Griffith-Joyner, gymnast Dominique Dawes and the 1992 basketball team, aka, the Dream Team, which consisted of Hall-of-Famers like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and more. Here are some of the athletes who will be carrying the torch in London and hopefully bringing home the gold.

Gabrielle Douglas
The 16-year-old gymnastic powerhouse earned first place at the Olympic trials and is the 2012 U.S. uneven bars champion, the all-around silver medalist and a bronze medalist in floor exercise. Affectionately known as Gabby, she just told E! News that she wanted Gabrielle Union to play her in the movie of her life. Douglas is the one of the main stars of the summer games, and that was made clear by the fact that she just graced one of the covers of TIME magazine (for the week of July 30) and on Sports Illustrated for a preview of the games.

Kim Holland

Growing up in the Washington DC area, Kim Holland aspired to be an attorney; she even worked a few years as a foreign policy assistant under a senator Edward Kennedy after pursuing a degree in Political Science at Norfolk State University. That is, before the calling of Sports management was heard.  After being approached by  her brother-in-law, Olympic athlete Terrence Trammell, she considered entering the field. Because this track and field runner was so persistent, Holland could not resist and reluctantly began representing him in business deals. What she learned quickly was that the field of sports management was not used to seeing a female face. One client turned to three and in 2002 Icon Management opened their offices in Atlanta, Ga. Ten years later, Icon is getting into its stride. The company boasted a roster of several Olympic and World Class track and field clients, including Miki and Me’Lisa Barber, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford and LaShawn Merritt, the top contender for the 400 hurdles in London. We caught up with Holland to discuss her thriving career.

What was the catalyst to sports management?

KH: My brother in law (Terrence Trammell) at the time was an Olympic athlete in track and field. He needed a manager and was pretty persistent about me working with him. It was really after working with him that I got the confirmation that sports management was where I belonged. I still didn’t know the sport but I knew that I could do this.

How did you know?

KH: When I started to work with Terrence Trammell, he would introduce me to his peers as his agent. I was a female and pretty young. It seems that the other athletes could relate to me. Because his conviction was so strong, I stepped out of faith and started to study the sport. Things quickly started coming together. One client turned into four and four turned into six; after two years, we went from four Olympic medals to eight medals; I knew I had something going here.

What were some of the challenges faces as an African American women manager, let alone a woman sports manager?

KH: When I first started in this industry, it was super challenging, not just as a woman but also as an African American woman. And I was one of the youngest agents at the time. I don’t believe the other male agents, meeting directors or the booking managers took me seriously. Later on, they realized that I had staying power. They said, “she is articulate, educated, she can defend herself, she knows what she’s doing and at the end of the day she really cares about her clients.”

Marion Jones has certainly led an interesting life. One with plenty of peaks and valleys. One minute she was the star of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the next she was being arrested for perjury.

Black Enterprise’s Marc Lamont Hill will sit down and speak with the mother and athlete in a candid interview about where she’s going from here.

Find out where you can watch the interview at Black Enterprise.com.