Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Wheels Up Aug. 1st

Hey everybody!!! I'm so happy to finally have the time to actually get on here myself and update you all on everything that's been going on. First off, I just want to sincerely thank you for the immense show of love and support that I've received from everyone. I'm just blown away at how many people I have in my corner wishing me well and praying for my success. At the end of the day, my success is OUR success so again, THANK YOU!!!

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, and let me tell you, it has been some of the most challenging fun I've ever had. Everyday people stop by practice to give me their congratulations and well wishes for the Olympics, so we've had the opportunity to really practice on focusing through distractions. With the Olympics being the largest athletic stage in the world, its good to be able to have some similar experiences before I go. I've had the honor of going before the Mayor of Myrtle Beach and City Council to receive the proclamation of "Amber Campbell Day" (what a trip!), and been on numerous TV interviews and newspaper articles. But when its all said and done, my coach Dr. V reminds me that all this won't matter if we don't stay focused on the task at hand. So I'm really thankful that I have him to keep me on track.

My training has really picked up lately. We're not only throwing a large number of throws daily, but the intensity of the throws is increasing too. Dr. V is instructing me on visualization techniques and its improving my throw almost everyday. By the time the 18th gets here for qualifying day, I'll be excited to see how far my distance has improved. Then on the 20th it will be a true battle for the top spot. I can't wait to be in that fray fighting for the Gold!!!! Stay tuned as we will be giving you updates from Beijing all the way through the games. Love you all!

Peace and Blessings,
Amber

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Myrtle Beach honors Amber Campbell with special day


Friday, Aug. 8 has been designated "Amber Campbell Day" in the city of Myrtle Beach by the City Council in honor of the Coastal Carolina University alumna's athletic accomplishments.
The 27-year-old Campbell will be leaving on Friday, Aug. 1 for participation in the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China, as a member of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team. The hammer throw is her event, and she placed second in the qualifying event July 5. More

Monday, July 21, 2008

Support Team Campbell

This year has really been a dream come true! I am a 2008 Olympian in the women’s hammer throw. It has been a long journey that began when I graduated from Indianapolis, Indiana’s Pike High School in 1999. From there I received an athletic scholarship to Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As I left for college my Pastor, Rev. Greene told me to keep God first and my goals high. Accepting that advice I began my career as a student athlete. While at Coastal I took full advantage of my situation by becoming as active as I could in the community. I was Vice President of my dormitory community council, President of the Student Athlete Advisory Council, a member of the psychology honor society Psi Chi, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. I also earned 16 individual conference titles, and 5 Division 1 All-American honors.

Upon completing my education and graduating with Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, I competed in the 2004 Olympic Trials where I was the bronze medalist. Due to a technical ruling I was not able to be a part of that year’s Olympic team. Despite this set-back, I still had the desire to represent the USA in the 2008 Olympics. So I continued to compete post-collegiately and have had some very good success. In 2005, I was the silver medalist at the Indoor National Championships and then went on to qualify to represent the USA for the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. This year I am the top ranked women’s hammer thrower in the United States. I have the second longest throw, and placed second at this year’s Olympic Trials which qualified me for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Presently I am reaching out to the community to help with some of my expenses. Most athletes at this level have major corporate sponsors such as Nike, Adidas, or other companies. I on the other hand do not. Every expense is mine to bear, and I still have a long road ahead of me. I am responsible for my travel to various competitions throughout the year, training implements and equipment, nutritional supplements, chiropractic care, etc. I am soliciting donations so I can maximize my potential at the Olympic Games. Your support is appreciated and if you want to stay in the loop please subscribe to this Blog and Team Campbell editors keep you in the know. Please contact Donnie Campbell if you encounter any technical difficulties with the "Make a Donation" button or if you have any suggestions for this Blog. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Respectfully Yours,
Amber J. Campbell
2008 Olympian

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Notice

If you are a frequent visitor to this site you will notice that there are new pictures up and perhaps the donation button on the left hand side of the screen. I would like to take a moment to address that. Many of you may or may not know that unlike a great deal of Olympic Athletes Amber does not get a full sponsorship ride. She does get a great deal of support from Sports Doctors Inc. and other's from the Myrtle Beach area. She is grateful for that support. The purpose of the donations is to assist in making some purchases of items that she may need for her trip.
* Training Shoes
* Hammer Wires
* Phone Cards for calls back to the USA
* Training Gear

These are things that she will need to purchase that other athletes may not because of their sponsorship situation. For instance I doubt anyone from Nike is going to need shoes....

Thank You all for your Support
Brian

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Next Stop Beijing

Today has been the result of many years of hard work. With a throw of 69.7 meters Amber placed in second bring home the Silver Medal in the Olympic Trials. Amber who is a member of the Mjolnir Throwing club and supported by Sports Doctors Inc. out of Mrytle Beach S.C.

"Speechless. Happy. On Top of the world!!!" Says Amber.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Into the Finals

Amber has the sixth spot of 12 going into the Women's Hammer Finals on Saturday. 66.77 Meters (219.01 Feet)
Amber Campbell, Flight 2 (Second Place)
"I did really well, got a throw in and made it to Saturday.  It felt good to get some good throws in and I am looking forward to the finals."




Look in the links table for Today's Register Guard story.




Tuesday, July 1, 2008

In Eugene and Ready to Go

Amber arrived in Eugene Oregon @ 3PM  and is checked in with USATF Officials.  
She feeling fantastic and full of energy.   The Buzz is in the air.  Looking forward to competing in front of a sold out crowd.  
USATF take the Top 12 throwers from Qualifiers to the Finals.  Automatic Qualifier is 68.5 meters to reach Finals.
It is anybody's game out there in Eugene.  The top women in the country are out to do there best.

Twitter AmberCampbellThrows

Throws Information

Throwing formats
In Olympic throwing events -- men's and women's shot put, discus, hammer and javelin -- the competition begins with a qualifying round in which the entire field is divided into two or more groups. In this round, competitors take turns attempting to reach a pre-set distance that automatically advances them to the final. If fewer than 12 athletes meet the distance required from direct qualification, the 12 competitors with the best throws, plus any athletes tying for 12th, advance to the final. In the final round, competitors take turns until each has attempted three throws. At this point, the top eight-ranked competitors (plus ties) receive three more throws. The best throw of the six is counted and the athlete with the longest throw is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the second-best throw is consulted.

Amber In her MJOLNIR Armor

Amber In her MJOLNIR Armor
Amber takes Gold at the Indoor Nationals

Olympic Trials 2008

Celebrating with the Campbell's

Indoor Championship 2009