WESTWOOD — Former Olympic hurdler Sharrieffa Barksdale brought a Can Do message to young athletes Saturday morning.

Negativity has no place around the energetic and upbeat 47-year-old who lives in Lexington.

“The word can’t is not in your vocabulary,’’ Barksdale told a group of more than 100 in the Fairview High School gym. “It’s only a word you read in books.’’

Barksdale, featured speaker at the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association clinic, grew up in the small town of Harriman, Tenn., and had her doubters.

The sixth of seven children became interested in track as a freshman in high school, following the lead of her brother Val, who went on to play football at the University of Tennessee and briefly in the NFL.

Sharrieffa soon embraced Wilma Rudolph — one of the greatest female athletes of all time — as her idol.

When Barksdale went to the library to check out a book on Rudolph, the librarian asked her why.

“I said, ‘I’m going to be on the Olympic team,’ ’’Barksdale recalled.

The librarian scoffed at the thought but it only strengthened Barksdale’s resolve. As a ninth-grader, she qualified for Tennessee’s state meet in the long jump.

Then Barksdale discovered the hurdles. Her early practices at home consisted of jumping over makeshift hurdles consisting of cement blocks and two-by-fours.

Barksdale’s tireless worth ethic paid off by her senior year. She single-handedly brought Harriman High School a state championship as the team’s only member.

Barksdale, whose father died when she was nine, declined an offer from Old Dominion University and attended Tennessee on a partial scholarship that turned into a full package as she proved herself.

In 1982, Barksdale’s coach moved her from the 110-meter hurdles to the 400s with the Olympics just two years away. Not yet on the Volunteers’ travel squad in the event, she competed in a meet at Cal-Berkeley for training purposes and took first place.

“If they had been able to use my score, we would have won the meet,’’ she said.

Her career quickly kicked into high gear. In ‘83, Barksdale was a silver medalist on the Pan American team and she became the American record holder that year with a time of 55.58 seconds.

At the Olympic Trials, Barksdale overcame nerves to gain a spot on the U.S. team.

“I was nervous, petrified, scared to death,’’ said Barksdale, who threw up on the track before her race. “When I made it, it was the best feeling somebody said I would not make the Olympic team.’’

Following the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Barksdale was a semifinalist, she returned home to a huge welcome. Along with receiving a key to the city of Harriman, a street and high school track were named after her.

During the ceremony, one of Barksdale’s hugs came from the librarian.

“She wanted to be on stage for the program,’’ Barksdale said. “She put her arm around me and said she was sorry for telling me I couldn’t make it. To do that in front of thousands of people said a lot.’’

Barksdale, who went on run a personal-best time of 54.9 seconds in 1986 and was ranked fourth in the world, recounts her life story to inspire others to push their own limits.

“If you have dreams, goals and determination, you can be everything you want to be in life,’’ she said.

Fairview eighth-grader Kacie Bradley was among those listening intently.

“It made me think,’’ said Bradley, who qualified for Kentucky’s Class A state meet as a seventh-grader. “I’ve always had dreams I wanted to reach. Listening to her made me more determined to have a name like hers.’’

Barksdale pounded home the message of hard work. She stayed around to talk to athletes and coaches and then helped aspiring hurdlers during a technique session.

“It was a good experience,’’ Bradley said. “She shows what can be done, what it takes to get there.’’

Barksdale is currently an employment specialist at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. She has close ties to USA Track and Field and has been authorized to help head up the U.S. training center in Bejing, China, for the upcoming Olympics.

ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.