Turner aiming to inspire next generation of female athletes

Off the back of her selection into the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) 2025 John B. McLendon Hall of Fame, former Jamaican Olympian-turned-coach Inez Turner said her goal in life is to inspire the next generation of female athletes.

Turner earned the hall of fame selection in light of her impressive 14-year stint coaching in the CIAA conference.

She has won 25 conference titles across two schools, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Fayetteville State University (FSU), where she coaches.

The induction will be the ninth for Turner, who currently stands as a five-time Penn Relays Hall of Fame inductee as well as single inductions in the FSU, the National Junior College, and the Texas State University (TSU) Halls of Fame.

Alongside her role as head coach of the FSU track and field programme, Turner also serves as the senior women’s sports administrator, which has allowed her to be a role model for the young girls under her guidance.

“When it comes on to coaching young females, it’s got to be someone who knows how to help instil in them the value of life,” she explained.

“What I do and what my staff does and what we do here at Fayetteville State University is to try my endeavour best to instil in them great values.”

Turner said the opportunity to help guide her athletes is the driving force behind her success at FSU.

She hearkened back to her time as a student-athlete at Vere Technical, which she credited for her desire to help others.

Turner was a standout performer for Vere in the 1980s during their dominant 14-year win streak at Girls’ Champs.

“It grants me favour and joy because our young women especially, many times they need that supportive force in their life. They will need someone to guide them on which pathways to take, what is wrong and what is right.”

She continued, “Because of what I got within my younger years back in Jamaica at Vere Technical, that is what is definitely helping me to lead and to guide these young girls that God has ordained me to do.”

Turner hopes to continue her trend of success in life as she believes her calling is in helping others achieve their own success.

“I am almost through with my doctoral degree and I truly know that there is a bigger assignment out there for me,” she affirmed.

“I know God is preparing me for that. It may be where I continue coaching, it may be where I continue leading, but I know I am going to be helping others. It is not just going to be student-athletes but a lot more when it comes on to leadership.”