Hon. Jean Bell ’83
Staying on Track
“There’s nothing the girls are going through that we haven’t already been through”
Decades later, she’s still running—and a recent Netflix documentary is sharing her story with the world. The film, Sisters on Track, follows Brooke, Rainn, and Tai Sheppard, who are members of Jeuness Track Club, an all-girls team founded and coached by Bell. The teenage sisters gained national attention after participating in the 2016 Junior Olympics and being named Sports Illustrated’s SportsKids of the Year, leading to a dinner with LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé, and appearances on The View.
Bell founded Jeuness two years after graduating from Brooklyn Law School. The club’s name—evoking the French term for “young lady”—is a nod to her goal of not only training athletes, but also supporting them academically and encouraging them to pursue college.
“I grew up very poor. We lived in a low-income housing project while I was in law school and college,” she said. “These girls come from similar backgrounds…. I try to show the girls that now colleges have funds for you to run track, and they’ll pay for you to go to the college.”
The early years of Jeuness Track Club coincided with the launch of Bell’s legal career. She started at a small personal injury firm before working as an attorney for several New York City agencies. In 1993, she was appointed to serve as a senior administrative law judge at the New York State Department of Labor, where she worked until transitioning to the state’s Workers Compensation Board in the summer of 2021.
Hon. Jean Bell ’83
Staying on Track
Decades later, she’s still running—and a recent Netflix documentary is sharing her story with the world. The film, Sisters on Track, follows Brooke, Rainn, and Tai Sheppard, who are members of Jeuness Track Club, an all-girls team founded and coached by Bell. The teenage sisters gained national attention after participating in the 2016 Junior Olympics and being named Sports Illustrated’s SportsKids of the Year, leading to a dinner with LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé, and appearances on The View.
Bell founded Jeuness two years after graduating from Brooklyn Law School. The club’s name—evoking the French term for “young lady”—is a nod to her goal of not only training athletes, but also supporting them academically and encouraging them to pursue college.
“I grew up very poor. We lived in a low-income housing project while I was in law school and college,” she said. “These girls come from similar backgrounds…. I try to show the girls that now colleges have funds for you to run track, and they’ll pay for you to go to the college.”
The early years of Jeuness Track Club coincided with the launch of Bell’s legal career. She started at a small personal injury firm before working as an attorney for several New York City agencies. In 1993, she was appointed to serve as a senior administrative law judge at the New York State Department of Labor, where she worked until transitioning to the state’s Workers Compensation Board in the summer of 2021.
“I liked the idea that I could control the proceedings,” Bell said about the move from attorney to judge. “It seemed like a position that I could really master.”
In the early days of the club, she juggled her new legal career with buying uniforms, renting vans, and paying competition entry fees for her first 10 athletes. Over time, the team grew, and she enlisted the help of other coaches, including some past team members who would return to coach the next generation of runners.
“We all come from the same neighborhood,” said Bell. “We understand where the girls are coming from and what their experiences are. There’s nothing the girls are going through that we haven’t already been through.”
Nearly 40 years later, Bell and the Jeuness Track Club have become a Bed-Stuy institution. Team members routinely medal in highly competitive track meets, such as the Colgate Women’s Games and the national Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games. Some standout team members have earned spots on the USA Track and Field Junior National Team and competed in the World Junior Championships. One member, Yvonne Harrison, even competed in the Olympic Games.
Beyond the athletic accolades, Bell and Jeuness are known for nurturing the girls in their club. She stresses the importance of personal responsibility, reading, and learning about how to keep their bodies healthy.
“I never miss an opportunity to give a lesson, but it doesn’t always come across as a lesson,” said Bell. “It’s just the coach talking.”
The Sheppard sisters joined Jeuness after Bell saw them compete at the Colgate Games. Not knowing they were sisters, Bell invited each individually to train with her team. At the time, the Sheppard sisters were living with their mother, Tonia Handy, in a homeless shelter. Bell connected Handy with other team mothers, who helped her secure a job at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Bell also helped her find an apartment (which was later paid for by actor, director, and producer Tyler Perry).
Bell and the sisters caught the eye of Brooklyn filmmaker Corinne van der Borch, who approached Bell about filming their story. Bell thought that documenting the family’s story of resilience would be a good idea, but didn’t think much more about it until after filming finished in 2019, when she learned the film had been picked up by Netflix and would be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Since its premiere, the film has inspired more young girls to come to Jeuness. Bell ensures they all have time to meet with the coaches who can assess their potential and takes on as many of the runners as she can, hoping to shape their lives for years to come.
“We’re all about the empowerment of women and taking girls to that next level,” she says. “It’s not about getting girls to the Olympics—that was never the goal. The goal was getting girls to college, getting them to the next step in their education. And they take off from there.”