Video: Olympian Christina Epps tells Morristown 5th graders about injuries and hard work
By Brian LaMuraglia
It was more than a hop, skip and a jump that got Christina Epps to the Rio Olympics.
A devastating knee injury four years ago turned out to be a blessing, Epps told students at Morristown’s Alexander Hamilton Elementary School on Friday.
“It forced me to focus more,” said Epps. “ It forced me to dedicate myself to the sport more and not just rely on my talents and abilities I had naturally. It made me take my abilities to the next level because I had to work hard.”
Dedication and hard work were the themes Epps impressed upon the third-, fourth- and fifth graders, in the same school she once attended.
Asking the students to define those terms, she was elated to hear answers like, “It’s never giving up when you want to,” and “Doing your best.”
On Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, Epps will be honored at her alma mater, Morristown High School, during halftime of the football team’s Homecoming game.
Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin
Yet even as she contemplates seeking another Olympic berth in 2020, the 25-year-old Epps acknowledged there were times she had second thoughts about the sacrifices required to compete in Rio.
“I have had doubting moments. This past year was really hard. I forced myself to try to make the Olympic standard at most of my track meets.
“It haunted me most of the year and I second guessed myself if I was really talented enough to make the team,” Epps told an audience that included her mother, Beverly Epps-Blackwell; her sister, Chante Hylton; niece Joy Hylton, a 5th grader at Alexander Hamilton; and Morris School District Board President Leonard Posey.
“I have had to make sacrifices. I’ve given up hanging out with friends, and I was kind of a loner most of the time in college because I was doing something for myself that others may not have wanted. I definitely made those sacrifices as my social life goes,” said Epps, a graduate of Coppin State University who recently became engaged.
The best thing about the Olympics, she said, was representing the United States in the opening ceremony.
“Oohs” and “ahhs” filled the classroom as Morristown’s first Olympian paced the floor to demonstrate how far she can jump — more than 45 feet.
Epps got the same response when answering questions: Yes, she met Usain Bolt and Simone Biles! The 4th graders erupted in a chorus of “USA, USA, USA!” chants at the conclusion of Epps’ talk.
“Getting to meet her and asking her questions were my favorite parts,” said Ashley Cabrera, 10, a hopeful tennis Olympian. “It was pretty cool to talk to her.”
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