More than ability and talent, ten-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis said family involvement is the key factor for young athletes to be triumphant.

Lewis was in Columbus on Wednesday at the Columbus Athletic Club for the first annual Carl Lewis International Track and Field Festival that took place in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Lewis spoke about the importance of parental involvement in their children’s interests, specifically through sports. He also discussed how sports helped bring him closer to his family and also helped with his education.

He began his speech talking about the hardships of growing up as the youngest and smallest in a familt of three accomplished athletes. Because of his size, no one ever thought he would accomplish as much as his older siblings.

Lewis smiled and said his mother always gave him the encouragement he needed by telling him she knew he would be great one day.

“I always tell my mother, ‘Gosh I don’t know how to describe you. You were either the greatest motivator or the sweetest little white liar who lived,'” Lewis said.

Lewis then spoke of his parents’ vision for their childrens’ futures. Lewis said his parents, who lived in Montgomery, Ala. during the civil rights movement, were inspired by Rosa Parks.

“My parents used to say, ‘Do what you think is right. Always do what you think is right. Follow the rules that are afforded to you 100 percent. Get your education,'” Lewis said.

“Our families stayed together. They were involved in sports, we were involved in sports. We used to travel together,” Lewis said. “They were able to constantly instill values and report all the values that they thought were important to us and still are.”

Lewis, whose parents were both teachers, spoke about his parents involvement with his academics. Unlike most kids in his neighborhood, Lewis was allowed to play after school instead of having to do his homework. His parents encouraged him to do his studying after dinner.

This schedule offered another opportunity for togetherness at the dinner table because he and his siblings would study while their parents would make their lesson plans.

As sports proved a way to keep the Lewis family close, it was also a catalyst for Lewis’ interest in studying.

After his father told him about Jesse Owens, Lewis began to research his career. Owens’ experience in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany sparked Lewis’ interest in history.

Lewis also said that since his retirement in 1997, he has been searching for a way to give back to track and field.

“The values I thought were needed to keep the sport going were not being addressed,” Lewis said. “In the last year, track and field has really gone through some difficult times and I feel it’s a lack of support by youth and family.”

Lewis said the festival was designed to bring adults and their children together by providing events for all age groups and other events, like the 5K run or walk, where everyone can participate together. He also said the festival was going to honor academics as well as athletics.

Lewis said he chose Columbus because of its historical value and the inauguration of the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Anthony Brown, athletic director at Linden McKinley High School in Columbus, was looking forward to the festival and to the opening of the new track.

“It was a shame and selfish on Ohio State’s part to drop the stadium and eliminate the track that Jesse ran on,” Brown said. “However, I can see, in some way, they made it up by building this track.”

Brown said children love sports, but sometimes influences can interfere with parental involvement. He said things are getting better and hopes Lewis’ message will encourage parents to become more involved with their children.