An Olympic opportunity

Black Hills State junior invited to participate in U.S. Olympic Trials

By Jeff Budlong, Journal staff | Tuesday, July 01, 2008

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SPEARFISH — It turns out Aubrey Baxter won’t be able to play in that Fourth of July softball game after all.

The Black Hills State University junior thrower has been eyeing a chance to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials all season long, but when the call came a week ago she found out she was not being invited.

Baxter was safely in the top 24 qualifiers in the shot put, but hadn’t reached the B qualifying standard of 17 meters in the event. So the Redfield native made plans to take part in a co-ed softball tournament over the Fourth of July.

That was until Tuesday when the phone rang once again, this time informing her a spot had opened up for the shot put and hammer throw champion at the NAIA Outdoor Championships in May.

“I am so excited and I just want to throw well and get a (personal record),” she said. “It will be the perfect place for me to PR because I am going to be excited and jacked up. I had to call the team I was going to play softball with and it kind of messed that up.”

Baxter, the first athlete to make it to the Olympic Trials under Yellow Jackets’ head coach Scott Walkinshaw, is leaving for Eugene, Ore., today but will not throw until Thursday.

“I really want to watch the men’s shot put because there are several of them that may throw over 70 feet which would be awesome,” she said. “I also have some friends that will be there that I haven’t seen in a while.”

Baxter came into this season as an accomplished hammer thrower, but her talent in the shot put has caught the eye of many. She continues to improve as she has a best effort of 16.48 meters.

“In our competitions we rarely get to go against great competitors,” Walkinshaw said. “You have to be put in those positions to become better. Anytime you get to be around that level of athlete, and learning from that experience of being at the Olympic Trials you know you can compete at a conference meet in Rapid City.”

Baxter doesn’t expect to make the Olympic team — only the top three finishers are eligible for the Olympic squad — but it is an experience that she figures will only benefit her down the road.

“I don’t want to say that I am going to have a great year next year, but I think it is really going to help me going into next season,” she said.

While Beijing may not be an option, Walkinshaw knows that the Olympics are still a possibility for the thrower in the future.

“I asked her if she still saw herself throwing in four years,” Walkinshaw said. “She said that she did, so she will have another strong year next year and then she can train here or we can find her a club if we need to. But we will worry about that later.”

Baxter said she became serious about making it to the Olympic Trials while she was attending Moorpark Community College in California for a year before transfering to BHSU to be closer to home.

“When I was in California, I was surrounded by a lot of great throwers and they were all talking about making it to the trials. That got me thinking I could do it too,” she said. “Coach Mac (Bob MacKay) talked about working hard for two years, which is a small part of your overall life, and you could make it. It got me thinking and working harder.”

While Baxter will be battling some nerves when she makes her throws on Thursday, it will not be the first time she has been to Hayward Field.

“When I was in California one of their coaches was recruiting me to go to Oregon so I have been there,” she said. “The whole Nike thing and with (Oregon legend Steve) Prefontaine it is very impressive.”

Baxter will be throwing at 9:20 p.m. which is different than at any other meet she has been to, but she doesn’t see it as a factor.

“We all have to do it and throwing at that time it will be cooler anyway,” said Baxter, who has moved her practices at BHSU to the evenings to help her prepare.

Baxter won’t have to look too far for support while in Oregon with several members of her family, friends and even a group of teammates planning to make the trip with her.

“It will be good to have their support, and I am just excited for the opportunity,” she said.