KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — "I’m determined, I’m not going to let anyone tell me this is impossible."
Standing on a crumbling track in her hometown of Harriman, Sharrieffa Barksdale says she doesn’t know the word “NO”. It’s not in her vocabulary. The 1984 Olympian is channeling that determination to bring the worn-out oval of asphalt that bears her name back to life.
"It changed my life because I wanted something bigger and better," Barksdale said.
Growing up in a small town, Barksdale was a standout at school, on the sidelines as a cheerleader and on the basketball court. But the track at Harriman High is where her destiny took off.
She sprinted to ”12-time All-American” status at the University of Tennessee – and eventually earned a spot on Team USA. The next leg of her journey was the 400-meter hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.
"Although I didn’t win a medal, making the Olympic team and being 9th in the world, is an accomplishment," Barksdale said. "Being an Olympian for the United States, it’s the hardest team to make ever, even to this day."
These days, Barksdale cheers on up-and-coming world-class athletes. As a manager with USA Track and Field, she supports them along their journey to their ultimate destination, the Olympics.
Photos of Olympian Sharrieffa Barksdale over the years
"The energy I give off, I want that same energy back… I’m going to get it back and I know I’m going to get it back," Barksdale said.
Now, she’s giving back to the people of Harriman by way of a "new and improved" track. It's meant to inspire the next generation of athletes.
"I would look at that little girl or little boy as looking at Sharrieffa. 'What would I tell “Sharrieffa?', and that is 'I am somebody. I will let nothing stand in my way because I can do it."
That "can-do" attitude kicked in once again, two years ago, when Sharrieffa and community leaders started fundraising for the track. They hosted galas and a concert, but when the dollars still came up short, Barksdale was not deterred.
"I’m more successful when my back is up against the wall. I know how to work under pressure. I know what it takes to work under pressure, so I started making phone calls and I started sending letters."
Barksdale secured two anonymous gifts that pushed them over the fundraising finishing line.
"It’s nothing but God. God gave me a mouthpiece to sit in front of them to deliver the passion that I have for this community, for this school, for Harriman TN for Roane County to make sure this track is built," Barksdale said. And this Olympian is certain, that the track with her name cemented in Harriman’s history, will lay the foundation for others.
"I believe that building this track, there will be another Olympian that comes out of small-town Harriman."
Barksdale will travel with Team USA to the Olympic Games this summer in Paris, but she’ll be back in East Tennessee in time for the dedication of the track in late summer or early fall.