SAN
009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY APRIL 20, 2009
MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009
SPORTS
7B
RELAYS
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Olympian enjoys competing in javelin at Kansas Relays
GOLDZONE
The Kansas relays are a much dif
In between world-class heaves, Russell laughed and joked with friends and family who showed up to support him. He also acted as part cheerleader, part athlete, getting the crowd to clap for each of the throwers, including himself, during the competition.
"We practice every day, and it's different having a crowd behind you," Russell said. "Having all the faces you recognize — trainers, coaches, Lawrence High kids, inlaws, my wife — It's a really cool environment and it's easy to compete in."
944 Mass.
832-8228
Ryan McGeenev/KANSAN
BY JOEL PETTERSON jpetterson@kansan.com
For Scott Russell, Friday was just another afternoon tossing a javelin at the University. Except this day crowds gathered to watch the Olympian, gazing and cheering in awe as he wowed them and easily won the event with a toss of 75.08 meters.
Russell, a KU graduate who lives and trains in Lawrence, wasn't exactly pleased with his performance, but that would be difficult to tell for the casual observer.
This was Russell's first competition of the season.
"It was a rough start but a good start," he said of the competition.
ferent stage from the 2008 Beijing Olympic games where Russell, a Windsor, Ontario, native, competed for Canada. He placed 10th in the javelin throw.
Even on the world's grandest stage, Russell still managed to keep his laid-back attitude.
"I never thought I'd be that relaxed going into the Olympics," he said.
"It was ridiculous," he said of the experience. "You know you're going to see 91,000 people when you enter the stadium, you know you're going to see the torch, but you don't realize the little things you'll experience like the Canadian National Anthem coming on when you walk in the stadium."
It was an experience that he almost didn't achieve. After missing the cut for the 2004 Athens games, Russell was on the brink of giving up competition.
He was out of money and motivation, but a friend gave him the money to compete one more time, and on his first throw at the competition, he set the Canadian record for javelin with a throw of 84.41 meters.
"I thought 'Why am I still doing this?'" he said. "I didn't have the support system that I have now."
Junior thrower Mary Lacy hurls the shot put in the first flight of the women's finals April 17 outside Memorial Stadium.
"I saved my career," he said. "I don't know where I'd be, I probably
would have just gone home and started working."
Instead, Russell is back competing at the University, where he spent his college years. Russell decided to make the move from Canada to Kansas after both the school and the town impressed him.
"The school itself had a really good reputation," he said. "And there's just something about Lawrence. It's really laid back, just like I am outside of competition."
The Kansas Relays provide a chance for him to reminisce about his many years in Lawrence. Russell has made the city his home base. He trains locally at Next Level Sports Performance, 644 E. Locust St., and is even helping coach the Lawrence High track team.
"I'm really glad and really lucky to have the support system I have here," he said. "I thank all the people here who let me do it."
In between training, coaching and competing, he finds time to work on a master's degree in education.
"I'm trying to figure it all out," he said. "I know I want to throw, and I know I want to teach. Right now I'm trying to see if I can make it work financially."
- Edited by Liz Schubauer
Red Lyon Tavern
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Senior distance runner Patrick McGowan clears an obstacle during Friday's men's 3000-meter steeplechase at the Kamas Relaxs.
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