By Rochelle E. Brenner
Action Karate athletes got the opportunity to speak in person to one of the world’s greatest athletes who competed on the world’s biggest stages.
Stephenie Ann McPherson is a Jamaican track star, world champion and Olympian who competed in the last three Olympics and made more finals and championships in track over a longer period than almost any other human.
McPherson was born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. Her cousin, 11-year-old Payden Jones, earned her Junior Black Belt at Action Karate Mt. Airy in Philadelphia in June 2024. Now that McPherson is back from the Paris Olympics, she is visiting family and Payden invited her to come speak to her class at Action Karate. She spoke to the basic class, where Payden is a leader of younger kids. She spoke to the adult and teen class, where Payden is a student working towards her senior black belt.
When she heard the Action tournament is coming up, McPherson offered some advice on dealing with nerves: “When I’m nervous and some of my teammates, they’re nervous, we perform. We have the best performance when we are nervous. Nervous is good. When you’re nervous you’re aware of what is going on. You can control your nerves by doing breathing exercises, inhale and exhale,” she said.
Her training schedule is extensive. She wakes up at 4 am six days a week, trains until 9 am. She then rests and eats and is back in the gym in the afternoon until 6pm or 7pm. 6 days a week. For 9 months. And you don’t train for the Olympics. You train for every race in between, the time trials, the national team try-outs. You have to train to the extremes of your ability, but with balance: avoid overstride as stride could be too long and you get hurt, or too short and you slow down. You can lift too much weight, and strain a hamstring or back. You can eat the wrong things and hurt recovery. Eat protein, pasta, recover and sleep. Essentially these match the elements of a martial arts lifestyle: breathe, sleep, eat, move, don’t quit.
Each race gets you one step better.
“You have to compete to get better. You can train, train, train, train. Competing is very good to put yourself with other people at your level, it makes you better," she said.
And the truth is, she doesn’t always like it. She doesn’t always want to show up and she doesn’t always win.
“It hurts sometimes when you lose.. but then some things are out of our control. When you lose you have to pick yourself up and train even harder. When I lose I train harder. When I win I still train hard,” she said.
She has enjoyed the sweet taste of victory, being not just an Olympian, but winning silver in Rio. She has reached speeds the rest of us can only imagine, on stages the rest of us are honored to watch.
What goes through her head when she’s running, might give insight of what to focus on when you’re performing at the tournament. One move at a time. Focus on what your instructors advise. Make sure your hands are in position, your chamber is locked in, you land in your stance. Be in the moment. Here’s her race mindset:
“It’s like a class. Each athlete gets their instruction. Everything is a phase. Focus on each step. 100 m in 12 seconds, 150m in 16 seconds, 200m in 23 seconds and then it goes on. When you’re running you don’t think about other athletes or I want to run fast, just the steps. First 150m relax your arms, last 150m swing your arms. You have to think about the steps. You don’t have other time to think about athletes in front of me or behind me, you have to think about instruction you get from your coach.”
McPherson started running at 14, and won her first world championship in Russia at age 23. She got her start at a simple sports day at school. She was having fun, running with other kids, when a coach approached her.
“Are you interested in doing track? Because you are really fast and can get a free scholarship. Because most of us are poor and we use sports to get ourselves out of poverty,” she said, referring to her childhood hometown in Jamaica. It wouldn’t be easy, but she had a lot of potential.
“Just take it each day at a time. It gets easy. Sometimes it’s really hard. You have to be determined and fearless. .. You have to just keep going. Keep moving. Nothing in life is easy, it’s hard. It’s like school."
Her presence in karate class gives our students a fast-track to improve their performance. McPherson also signed belts: her name, her event, her personal record: 49.34 seconds in the 400m. When the students who met her look at their belts, they will hopefully be inspired to kick a little faster. When they train with her cousin Payden in class, they know they’re connected to greatness. This is an example of the extended karate family, and we are so appreciative to be in this karate family. Of course, McPherson offered a little extra encouragement for her cousin.
“She showed me some moves at home. She’s very good. I think she’s going to be a good athlete,” McPherson said.
Quick Q & A. Here are some fast answers to some of our students’ questions.
1. Do you love tracking?
Sometimes
2. Are you famous?
Yes
3. Does it get easier?
You have some days that are really really hard. And then you have some days that are easy but if you work really hard it becomes easy
4. Have you ever wanted to quit?
Every week, every week. But you have to have the mindset you’re not going to.
5. What motivates you?
My family, fans, people that look up to me.
6. Do you think you can beat anyone?
Sure, Yes.
7. Have you ever been on camera?
All the time, every time.
8. Most inspiring competitor?
Allison Felix, She has a very good work ethic
9. Hardest track event?
Everybody says 400m because you have to sprint for longer
10. How fast can you go?
49:34 in the 400m, 3rd fastest Jamaican & National record holder for fastest indoor runner
11. Favorite place after traveling the world
Australia
12. What do you eat before a race?
Chicken, pasta
OMG!!! Thank you for letting her come!!!!