Chasing the Olympic dream

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, July 8, 2004

Jarred Rome is at a point that Mary Etter would love to reach in a few years.

Snohomish County can boast two track and field athletes, both discus throwers, who will participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials starting today at Alex Spanos Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.

Of the two, Rome, a graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School and Boise State University, has the better chance of gaining a berth in Athens, largely because of a performance boost brought on by constant training since October 2003 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Rome uncorked a 221-foot, 9-inch heave recently in competition, the longest throw in the nation this season, which spots him as the No. 1 seed going into the Trials. The throw also is the 13th-best in U.S. history.

Rome has thrown better than 205 feet in 12 meets this year.

“That’s just ridiculous,” Rome said, smiling. “This year’s been pretty good.”

It can get better. Much better than in the 2000 Trials, when he finished eighth in the discus, 13th in the shot put. The top three qualify for the Olympic Games.

“When he went in 2000 and didn’t go, I remember thinking that he had about a 10- to 15-percent chance of making the U.S. team,” said Conrad Wold, Rome’s throwing coach in M-PHS, where he still teaches. “He didn’t make it. Now, I would say it would be a disappointing blow if he didn’t make it.”

Rome’s acceleration is a direct result of his decision to train at Chula Vista, which demands a full-time commitment. Rome received his Master’s Degree in Business Education last year at Boise State, but his throwing performance understandably suffered because of his divided attention.

Not anymore.

“I’m in, by far, the best shape I’ve been in my career,” said Rome, now 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, about 70 pounds heavier than he was in high school. “When you’re trying to get your Master’s and train at the same time, you have two focuses and school’s probably your No. 1 focus. When I moved here (Southern California), I’ve been focusing on training. I don’t have to work because everything is paid for here. It’s really been a great situation to improve.”

At 27, Rome is just beginning his peak in the sport, a span that can reach an athlete’s mid-30s and beyond. In a way, then, Rome still is a novice, even though he’s thrown for 11 years.

“A lot of people in American think it’s just strength, and that’s just (wrong),” Rome said. “You’ve got to be really strong, but really, it’s so technical. A lot of people think that a football offensive lineman probably could throw far, but that’s so untrue. It’s explosiveness, speed and balance. Because it’s so technical, you’re not at the top of your game until you’re in your low 30s, even mid-30s.”

Etter, a 23-year-old graduate of Snohomish High School and the University of Oregon, knows this. She also knows that the women’s discus is loaded, what with 1996 Olympian Aretha Hill from the University of Washington and Suzy Powell, the 1996 Olympic Trials champion and American record holder at 227 feet.

Etter is making the transition from Oregon, a mecca of college track and field, to being largely on her own. She is ranked 18th in the discus, a circumstance that suggests that her inclusion onto the U.S. team rests on an upset.

“I went through the transition phase that most athletes have a really tough time with,” Etter said. “You have to redefine your goals and motivation. For a while, I ran into some trouble trying to figure out what I needed to do with practices and consistency, not being part of a program where a coach can oversee you. It kind of looked grim.”

Since then, Etter has enlisted the help of ex-Duck teammate Jordan Sauvage and has joined Team XO, which has assisted her in getting to competitions. Her best is 183-3.

“We’ve found that consistency,” Etter said. “She helped me through tough times. I started hitting the higher marks.”

That bodes well for the future. As does Rome, Etter wants to compete past age 30, which would for in nicely for 2008 and even beyond.

“It’s kind of hard in this country, because you have to fund everything yourself, but if I have the time and the money, I’d love to,” Etter said.

Discus schedule: Qualifying in the women’s discus will be held Saturday, with the finals scheduled for Monday. The men’s discus qualifying is slated for July 16, with the finals scheduled for July 18.