I first touched a javelin when I was 16. I was living in Oregon, one of the 17 of 50 states which allow high school javelin competition, and was curious about expanding my athletic repertoire by participating in track and field. At the time, I played softball on the varsity team, so my practice and familiarity with throwing was minimal. I competed in four sports in high school with softball as my main focus; however, I found a liking to track and was able to qualify for state competition all 3 years I competed. In 2004 I enrolled in my University where I played softball for 4 years. I was completing my graduate degree when the track team for Kent State approached me with an interest of my joining the team to throw a spear. After only 8 months of training and competition I finished 5th at NCAA Championships and 6th at USA Nationals. Though I acquired two degrees in college, my success in the javelin steered me to put “real life” on hold and pursue a new dream of competing on a world-wide level, particularly in the Olympic Games. Fortunately, following my lone season throwing collegiately, Nathan Fanger agreed to continue helping me with my technique and knowledge of the event. I trained with Coach Fanger for nearly 3 years where I set personal records each year and finished top 5 in the USA respectively at the Outdoor National Championships. I felt I had a great base for throwing but I needed more. I needed more one-on-one attention and when training with a collegiate coach, it was near impossible to get that. Fortunately, during the spring of 2011, I caught the eye of former Olympian Bill Schmidt (1972 Munich Games). Within three months of meeting him, I committed to training under him as well as making a move to Knoxville, Tennessee to train full time.