Thrower’s goal: going from Orono to Olympic Trials

Wanda Johnson of Tampa won the W35 shot and discus at Orono. But what’s really remarkable about this single mother of four is her ambition: competing in the 2008 Olympic Trials. The key paragraph of a great Tampa Tribune story on Wanda’s quest: “She is 43 feet away from qualifying for the trials in the discus, and 10 feet away from the shot put. If she makes one of the top-25 spots in either event, all of her expenses for the trials will be paid for by USA Track and Field.” Wanda’s marks at Orono were 12.32 (40-5) in the shot and 35.90 (117-9) in the discus. The Trials “A” qualifiers (meaning automatic entry) are 18.35 (60-2 1/2) and 61.00 (200-5). The “B” qualifiers (what Wanda is shooting for) are 17.20 (56-5 1/4) and 59.00 (193-7).


Here’s the story, in case link goes dead:

By JEFFREY JONES Tribune correspondent
Published: Aug 18, 2007
For the elite athlete, there isn’t usually a second chance. Time and injuries take a toll on the body, and there’s a small window that exists in order to be able to compete at a high level.
That’s not the case for Tampa Bay area resident Wanda Johnson, whose dream of becoming an Olympic competitor is still alive.
At 37, Johnson is trying to qualify for the 2008 Olympic track and field trials, to be held next summer in Eugene, Ore. If successful, her attempt will be in the women’s shot put and discus events.
But the single mother of four didn’t decide on a whim to start training for the chance to represent her country.
In fact, Johnson’s recent comeback has reaped her two gold medals at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Masters Championships held last month in Bangor, Maine. Johnson was first in both the shot put and discus for her age group. Johnson said her children can hardly believe their mother is once again competing on a national level.
“They’re already telling people that their mom is in the Olympics,” Johnson said. “They have high hopes for me.”
Johnson will also be bestowed with a prestigious honor in September, when she will receive the USA Track and Field Masters Female Athlete of the Year for Florida.
Johnson’s desire to participate in the Olympics began when she was just a child, admiring the accomplishments of athletes from a different era, and wanting to be a part of the dream they represented.
“When I was 10 years old, I used to look at the old black and white films of Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph,” Johnson said. “Ever since then, seeing that gold medal getting laid in their hands, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Johnson continued her quest as a teenager and found success. During her senior year at Hillsborough High (1988), she won a state title in the discus.
“I was the only one who went to state from my entire school and we had a really good boys 4×100 team, too,” Johnson said. “My coaches were great. It was awesome.”
One of those coaches who helped train her during that senior year was Steve West, who has been coaching track and field in Hillsborough County for more than 30 years. He was also an Olympic official during the 1996 Atlanta Games and has officiated at several U.S. Olympic trials.
“It’s hard to work and train,” said West. “You got to be able to train full time. If she gets that chance, then she is definitely capable of qualifying for the Olympic trials.”
West has continued to coach Johnson beyond high school and has been an integral part of her life.
“A lot of the reasons that I kept going into different types of sports outside of my talent is the motivation I got from him,” Johnson said. “He told me after high school, that he would be with me during my career for the rest of my life, or until I stopped doing everything.”
That type of guidance helped Johnson receive a track scholarship to Odessa (Texas) College. In 1990, she nearly qualified for the Olympic trials, coming about 2 feet short in the shot put. In 1991, Johnson got married and had her first child, which temporarily put a hold on her ability to train and compete.
“My priorities changed a little bit,” Johnson said. “I really wanted to compete, but I was trying to put family first.”
So athletics got put on the back burner while Johnson took care of her four children: Ebony, 15, Komae, 10, Derrick, 8, and Luke Christian, 7. Johnson didn’t regret what she did because she was able to give full attention to her family. But 13 years later, her relationship with her husband ended in a divorce and she immediately moved with her children to Orlando.
That’s where she met Pete McGuire, a bodybuilder who encouraged her to start training again. So in 2006, Johnson began to take steps that would lead her toward the Olympic dream.
Johnson began working out at least three hours a day and increased her weight to 180 pounds, a major change from when she weighed as little as 135 in college.
“This is the largest I’ve ever been and pound-for-pound, my muscle [mass] is very good,” Johnson said. “Once I get my speed up, I’ll be exactly where I need to be.”
In 2007, she hired McGuire full time in order to start competing seriously again. Unfortunately for Johnson, her funds ran out and she was forced to move back to Tampa where West took over where McGuire left off.
Although West helps her train, Johnson still needs the proper financial assistance in order to take her to the next level.
Recently, Johnson got sponsorship help at the Masters Championship from the Florida Athletic Club, with whom she is also a member. The trip to Maine was also financed by former Buccaneer Tyrone Keys, who is founder and executive director of All Sports Community Service, Inc.
She is 43 feet away from qualifying for the trials in the discus, and 10 feet away from the shot put. If she makes one of the top-25 spots in either event, all of her expenses for the trials will be paid for by USA Track and Field.
“It’s very hard to do something on your own, so when you have your family behind you, pushing you, encouraging you, and showing you all the love, along with your willpower, you can do anything you can put your mind to.”

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August 18, 2007

4 Responses

  1. John Stilbert - August 19, 2007

    As I mentioned on another board, it’s great that she’s competing, it’s good to have dreams, and congratulations on her success in Orono, but…
    Her Orono discus marks were beaten by 23 feet in the 50-54 age group (!). And her shot put marks were beaten by 2.5 feet in the 45-49 age group (!). So if she can be literally “owned” by athletes 10-15 years older than she is, her chances against athletes in their prime are pretty slim.
    Yes, Ms. Johnson’s ambition is huge, because 43 feet in the discus is HUGE, as is 10 feet in the shot put. Good luck to her though.

  2. Tom Fahey - August 19, 2007

    Years ago, when I was the throws coach at Cal State Chico, a 23 year old basketball player told me that she wanted to learn to throw the discus. She threw 75 feet her first meet. Four years later she won the Div II NCAA championship and ended up throwing 180 feet. She would have thrown further if she hadn’t developed severe back trouble.
    The point is that Wanda should follow her dream. She might hit the B standard if she trains hard enough and becomes a student of the sport. The secret is to keep at it. Don’t miss workouts and improve one foot at a time.
    As John Powell has said, you are a 40 foot shot putter; when are you going to be a 41 foot shot putter? When are you going to be a 115 foot discus thrower? Approach it like that and you can do great things. Don’t get discouraged and keep at it!

  3. Karen Vaughn - August 21, 2007

    I admire Ms. Johnson’s desire and goal to achieve great things (we all need to continue that mindset), but she is missing two important things. 43 feet to aquire in under a year for an elite athlete is a stretch. Doing this at 37 is going to be quite a feat. Secondly, the message she is sending her children is, “You come second in my life. No parent is better than one parent.” Even had I been ready for Orono this year, I still would have seen my daughter’s martial arts demo and not deny my 5 kids the right to celebrate my 50th birthday at home with them. Motherhood. That’s just the way it is. Ms. Johnson needs to enjoy it while she has the opportunity available. There are plenty of Masters records to be beaten out there.

  4. Ruthlyn Greenfield-Webster, RN - August 21, 2007

    In my opinion, people tend to focus too much on “impossibilities” and not enough on “possibilities”. I agree that Ms. Johnson’s Olympic dreams will be hard to attain. However, whether or not she attains these goals is irrelevant to me. The fact that she HAS a goal and is striving towards it is what counts. I encourage her in this endeavor because, in the end, it’s not about whether or not she gets there. It’s the “achievements” and “life lessons” that she will undoubtedly experience along the way (and share with her children) that will matter.
    I am a 36 year old married mother of two young daughters ages 4 and 8. This is how I approach and live MY life (my husband tells me he’s trying to emulate my approach as well – he’s getting better). This is also what I teach my children and those who I mentor.
    Go Wanda!

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