Try for Olympics highlights Games’ debut

SHORELINE

The inaugural Washington Games’ second round of track and field featured everything from a bid to make the U.S. Olympic team to a 3-year-old long jumper.

Dana Pounds, the 2007 U.S. women’s javelin champion and a two-time NCAA Division I javelin champion at the Air Force Academy, had one last shot to make it to Beijing on a warm Wednesday evening, July 16 at Shoreline Stadium.

Pounds finished second with a throw of 189 feet, 9 inches at the U.S. Olympic Trials June 30 in Eugene, Ore. While the top three usually qualify for the Olympics, Pounds still had to make the ‘A’ standard, an interntional standard of 198-6 or 60.5 meters, and then appeal to USA Track and Field to get into the Olympics.

“I thought my season was over and so I booked a ticket to hang out with boyfriend in Sandpoint and the closest place to fly in was in Spokane,” Pounds said. “We found this meet and I was like, ‘Hey, can you take me to Seattle first before we go to Sandpoint.’”

Pounds, wearing a white T-shirt, light blue spandex bottoms and wrap-around sunglasses, threw 48.8 meters her first throw. Then on the second throw she popped a big one, 60.7 meters. But there would be no trip to Beijing because her hand went over the line.

“Come on! That was it,” she shouted.

Pounds’ next three throws were 56.14, 54.82 and 56.03 before she threw out-of-bounds to the right on her last throw. The 24-year-old would have to wait until 2012 to get her next shot at the Olympics.

“The second one was it, I just put my hand on the line,” she said. “I actually didn’t think that was it, I thought some of the other ones I hit harder, but I think that’s the nature of the javelin, the ones you don’t really know what happens they take off. Kind of the effortless ones.”

Pounds got some encouragement from Duncan Atwood, a two-time Olympian in the javelin and 1978 University of Washington graduate, who is a volunteer assistant javelin coach at Washington. Atwood was filming the 5-foot-2 Pounds, anxious about every throw.

As far as her diminutive size, Pounds shrugged and talked about her faith: “(God) uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I just want to be a vessel. This is a worship thing for me, I’m out here having fun, especially in this beautiful country.”

Lynnwood javelin thrower Dylan Burnett-Lewis also competed and threw 51.21 and 53.42 meters before fouling on his final two throws.

Pounds wasn’t the only world-class athlete there. Tony Young, 46, of Redmond, the world record-holder in the mile for the 45-49-year-old age group with a time of 4:16.09, competed in the 800 and 3,000. Young cruised to victory in the 800 with a time of 1:58.

The Washington Games are Olympic-style sporting events held throughout the Puget Sound area in July for youth ages 8-18 and other amateur athletes. The events kick off the Powered by You health initiative, a new program designed to discourage childhood obesity by introducing young people to the benefits of sports and exercise, according to a statement from Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The first track and field event was held July 12-13 at West Seattle Stadium. More than 300 athletes came to Shoreline to combine for 500 entries, said meet commissioner Bill Roe, who is also involved with the Olympic team as president of USA Track and Field.

Many of the participants were youth and 40 young people entered the long jump alone, including Leo Rosales, 3, of Seattle.

“It was a lot of fun to see all those kids out there,” said Roe.

Shoreline Stadium typically hosts Club Northwest’s all-comers meets on Wednesday nights. One of the fun things about it is you never know who might show up. American pole vault record holder Brad Walker of Mountlake Terrace came to the meet in June as did fellow Olympian and discus thrower Aretha Thurmond. Many local athletes who turn out for those meets came for the Washington Games such as King’s cross country coach Rod Wilcox, who ran the 110-meter hurdles, 200, 100 and did the high jump. Coaches like Shorewood assistant track coach Brock Hogle also are regular watchers of the meets.