USA Women Throwers Series took place January 8-31, 2012
Loree Smith | Sunday, January 8, 2012 | Hammer Throw |
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 Height: 5-6 Weight: 178 lbs Birthdate: November 6, 1982 (Melbourne, FL) Home: Julesburg, CO
| Interview Replay is over 2008 Olympian, 2012 Olympic Hopeful Loree is an Olympian and two-time runner up at the USATF indoor 20-lb weight throw. At Colorado State University she won 11 individual Mountain West Conference Championship titles and 5 conference records (shot/weight indoor, shot/hammer/discus outdoor) and set a National record in the hammer throw. She graduated from Julesberg High School captain of the volleyball and basketball teams. Loree has described her junior high self as "Just a chubby kid throwing 25ft in the shot and 60ft in the discus...Sports originally were something just to pass the time and to have fun at." Loree's motto: Throw Like A Girl "...isn't just about throwing in a skirt. It's a phrase of empowerment I use for myself and encourage others to do so as well. Growing up you hear a lot of things meant to discourage you in life as well as sports. "You're too short," "too small," "too big," "too slow." There is always a label that you are too something and not enough something else. I use this motto to say that I am what I am. I accept everything and it makes me the athlete and person you see. I love who I am, I love being strong, I love being a girl, and I love throwing!" Loree's Topics: *Largest obstacles with training and preparing for Olympics *How is her training different and better this year *Goals *Life on and off the track *Future of our sport as a whole | 20-lb weight throw (pictured) 22.11m / 72'-6" 2nd Place (in Wonder Woman costume!) 2010 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Albuquerque, NM Personal Record (Hammer Throw): 70.64m / 231'-9" (2009) |
Jill Camarena Williams | Tuesday, January 10, 2012 | Shot Put |
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 Height: 5-10 Weight: 250 lbs Birthdate: March 2, 1982 (Woodland, CA) Home: Tucson, AZ
| Interview Replay is over 2008 Olympian, 2012 Olympic Hopeful, Current American Record Holder Jill is the American record holder in the indoor shot put and is tied for the outdoor record. She has currently claimed the past seven USA Indoor titles in the event. She qualified for her first Olympic Team in the women’s shot put with her third-place finish at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, less than three months after she had back surgery to repair a herniated disc. Jill did her undergraduate work at Stanford, and began pursuing her graduate degree at Brigham Young University. As a high schooler, she was also a swimmer, and played basketball, volleyball, and softball, and gained All-America honors while at Woodland High School where she won the 2000 California state discus title and the 1999 state shot put crown. Jill married Dustin Williams on September 5, 2009. "Do what makes you happy, be with who makes you smile, laugh as much as you breathe, love as long as you live." | 20.18m / 66'-2.5" (American Record) 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships Paris, France Personal Record: 20.18m / 66'-2.5" (2011) |
Aretha Thurmond | Sunday, January 15, 2012 | Discus Throw |
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 Height: 5-10 Weight: 235 lbs Birthdate: August 14, 1976 (Seattle, WA) Home: Opelika, Alabama
| Interview Replay is over Three-Time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008), 2012 Olympic Hopeful Aretha, already a 3-time Olympian, is fully committed to winning a medal at the Olympics for the USA before she concludes her throwing career. Aretha was blessed with a track and field scholarship to the University of Washington. In her sophomore year, she earned a berth on the United States Olympic Team. After graduation from college, she moved to Tennessee and then to Auburn, Alabama to train full time. She started throwing the discus when she was barely 14 years old after losing a bet (a game of 1-on-1) with her high school's track & field coach. By the end of that first season, she had developed a passion for throwing, and took second at state. She was disappointed and set a goal to take first. She took first for the next three years and broke her own state record in her senior year. Aretha’s passion for throwing has inspired her to follow her dream. "It's fun. It's a complex movement with a lot of different little parts. One leg, one arm, all doing something different but in harmony." Aretha gave birth to a baby boy on June 4, 2007. She is devoted to nurturing Theo and readily accepts the simultaneous challenges of motherhood and training to be a world class thrower. A week after Theo was born, she was working out. Eighteen days after delivery, she took sixth place in the national championships. Aretha's Topics: *Throwing & training *Nutrition *Living a healthy lifestyle | 63.19m / 207'-3" April 1, 2011 Lubbock, Texas Personal Record: 65.86m / 216'-1" (2004) |
Amber Campbell | Tuesday, January 17, 2012 | Hammer Throw |
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 Height: 5-7 Weight: 200 lbs Born: June 5, 1981 (Indianapolis, Indiana) From: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
| Interview Replay is over 2008 Olympian, 2012 Olympic Hopeful Campbell continued her streak of five consecutive USA Indoor Championship titles with her win in 2011. She recorded three tosses over 24 meters. In 2010, she won her first outdoor title in the hammer throw after second-place finishes in 2008 and 2009. She dominated the field in the women's 20-lb. weight throw at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships and ended up winning the women's Visa Championship Series title. Her first throw, which sailed 24.70 meters/81-0.50, is the third-farthest throw ever in history and earned her a fourth consecutive U.S. Indoor title. Campbell qualified for her first Olympic team with her runner-up performance at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials...was a member of the 2005 World Outdoor Championships team. She competed for the Lady Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina University from 2000-04, becoming a five-time NCAA All-American in the hammer and weight throw. She also won 16 individual Big South Conference titles in the indoor weight throw and shot put, and outdoor shot put, hammer throw and discus. She set the collegiate record mark of 22.24m/72-11.75, and finished third at the 2004 NCAA Championships in the hammer throw. Campbell is in her fourth year as a volunteer assistant coach for throwers at Coastal Carolina after finishing her career as one of the most distinguished athletes of all-time. | 2010 US Indoor Championships Albuquerque, NM 24.70m / 81'-0.5" (20# Weight Throw) Personal Record: 72.59m / 238'-1" (2011) Hammer; 24.70m / 81'-0.5" (2010) 20# Weight |
Britney Henry | Sunday, January 22, 2012 | Hammer Throw |
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 Height: 5-7 Weight: 155 lbs Birthdate: October 17, 1984 (Anchorage, Alaska) Home: San Diego, California
| Interview Replay is over 2012 Olympic Hopeful 2010 was Britney Henry's breakout year, earning her place as the # 2 Women's Hammer Thrower in the U.S.A, and 14th in the world, according to the IAAF Top Rank List. Britney Henry throws the hammer 5 meters farther now than in the beginning of the 2010 season. Britney was a standout at University of Oregon, winning the Pac 10 Conference title in 2007 and finishing 5th in the NCAA Championship meet, held at Stanford. She was an NCAA All-American that year and her throws began regularly surpassing 220 feet. Britney competed at Southeast Louisiana State University as well as Louisiana State University. She broke the Washington state record with a hammer throw of 166 feet her senior year of high school. “I was a pretty good athlete and enjoyed softball most of all,” she explains. “I played catcher for a number of years and loved being involved with every pitch. Later, I discovered track." “Spinning in circles is fun! I love to throw far and win. It’s what I try to do each time I go out and compete.” Britney’s Topics: *Unique techniques and coaching of individuals *Training for speed and explosiveness | 4K Hammer Throw 71.27m / 233'-9.5" 2010 Tucson Elite, Tucson, AZ Personal Record: 71.27m / 233'-9.5" (2010) |
Suzy Powell Roos | Tuesday, January 24, 2012 | Discus Throw |
 Height: 6-0 Weight: 162 lbs Born: September 3, 1976 (Modesto, Calif.) From: Modesto, California | Interview Replay is over Three-Time Olympian (1996, 2000, 2008), 2012 Olympic Hopeful, Current American Record Holder Suzy’s career began at age ten while running for a local track club. Her father noticed her ability to throw things far and suggested she try throwing the discus. Reluctant to be relegated to where most track coaches send the “fat kids,” Suzy tried the discus throw to please her dad. She was a natural. In her first year, she won the state title for her age group and broke a national record; she was now hooked on the idea of throwing discus. Suzy’s talent and passion for throwing continued to flourish while attending UCLA. In her sophomore year, she won the 1996 Olympic Team Trials. Her career as a Bruin was garnered by earning six All-American honors in both Discus and Javelin, PAC 10 titles in Discus and Javelin, and the UCLA school record in the Discus. Upon graduating from UCLA, Suzy moved home to be with family after the passing of her mother. Living at home and working for her Dad, she started her career as a post-collegiate. In 2004, Suzy sustained a catastrophic hamstring injury which kept her from making the Olympic team that year. After a year of painful rehab, she was back and made her third Olympic team in Beijing. | 67.67m / 222'-0" (American Record) "Big Wind" Discus Challenge Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii Personal Record: 67.67m / 222'-0" (2007) |
Kara Patterson | Sunday, January 29, 2012 | Javelin Throw |
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 Height: 6-0 Weight: 186 lbs Born: April 10, 1986 (Vancouver, Wash.) Home: San Diego, California
| Interview Replay is over 2008 Olympian, 2012 Olympic Hopeful, Current American Record Holder Kara Patterson won three Big Ten Championships, two Regional titles, and was a two-time All-American in the women’s javelin for Purdue University. She made the Beijing Olympic Team in 2008 when she threw 58.44m (191’9”) to set an Olympic Trials record. Her 61.56-meter (202’0”) throw at Big Ten Championships in 2008 was also key in making her Olympic dream a reality. Kara has won three national titles since the 2008 Olympic Trials, recording distances of 63.95m (209’10”) at USATF National Championships in 2009, 66.67m (218’9”) in 2010, and 59.34m (194’8”) in 2011. The 2010 season saw her throw further than 61 meters in 8 meets, come in second overall in the IAAF Diamond League, set an American Record at 66.67m (218’9”), and finish the year ranked sixth in the World by Track and Field News. In high school, Kara was a four-year varsity letter winner in swimming, basketball and track and field, three-time javelin state champion as a sophomore, junior and senior. "I throw the javelin professionally and loooove my job. Being outside every day makes me happy!" Kara's Topics: *Training and nutrition *Motivation *Training partners *The balance between training and "real life" | 66.67m / 218'-9" (American Record) June 25, 2010 Des Moines, Iowa Personal Record: 66.67m / 218'-9" (2010) |
Stephanie Brown Trafton | Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Discus Throw |
 Height: 6-4 Weight: 210 lbs Born: December 1, 1979 (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) From: Galt, California | Interview Replay is over Two-Time Olympian (2004, 2008), Olympic Gold Medalist (2008), 2012 Olympic Hopeful Stephanie represented the United States at the Olympics for the second time in her career in the 2008 Beijing games, where she won the Gold Medal in the women’s discus event. One her first throw, she won the gold medal by throwing 212 feet, 5 inches. Brown-Trafton qualified for Athens by finishing second in the discus at 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. Her runner-up finish at Trials was truly a surprise – prior to 2004, Brown had never finished better than 8th at a U.S. outdoor national championship. A notably tall discus thrower at 6-foot-4, Stephanie has wanted to be an Olympian ever since the age of four, when she watched Mary Lou Retton compete in the 1984 Olympics, and her father bought her a Mary Lou Retton leotard. "For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength" Stephanie's Topics: *Injury management *Mental preparation for competition *The business of sports *Finding grant money for travel and training | (throw pictured at 1:27) 2008 Olympics Beijing, China 64.74m / 212'-5" (Olympic Gold Medal Throw) Personal Record: 66.17m / 217'-1" (2008) |