Bronze Baby!!!!

Its the morning after I've thrown, and all the hoopla has calmed down, but I'm still smiling ear to ear! This wasn't the smoothest competition I've ever had, or even the most consistant, but so far its the sweetest! My first Pan American Championship and I earned a bronze medal, wow! After the competition I was told that this was the first Pan Am medal in my event since 1999, cool huh? I'm so thankful for this medal because this has been a rough year for me. I didn't achieve everything I wanted to, but the journey is far from over. This is a great start to the Olympic year! So for everyone who missed it on ESPN yesterday, my cousin Vanessa recorded it and posted it to facebook, Thanks Cuz!!! Here's the link and I hope it works.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/vanessa.danforth/posts/284526814910962

Thanks for everything, and from here until the Games we'll be "Looking Toward London"!

Love and Blessings,
Amber 

Hola desde Guadalajara

A Good Showing from Guadalajara.  I am watching a little ESPN3 on the XBox and updating on how Amber did throwing against the other women of the world.  In the clip that I recorded she took second place with a great throw. I am a little biased but I think she threw 70 meters but..... the judges gave her 69.93..... I am wondering about calibration of their instruments but that is just the engineer in me.  Here are the official results Women's Hammer Throw Finals. Good Job lil Sis!!

Sweat, Tears, and Smiles

As I enter the last few weeks of prep for the World Champs, I had a chance yesterday to relax a bit and do another one of my favorite things, get my picture taken! My friend Paul, who was a teammate back at Coastal, is now a professional photographer. (http://www.paulscheuerphoto.com/) We met up yesterday for a nice photo shoot, and I had so much fun! Paul had some great ideas and the pictures turned out really cool. Here is my favorite one so far:

Tyra Banks, eat your heart out ha ha ha ha!!! I know I'm usually cheesing in my pics, but I was channeling how much hard work I had to put in to earn the right to wear this USA uniform once again. Its been an uphill battle every step of the way, but I'm still fighting! I have so many amazing people that are praying for me, and cheering me on that even when things get rough and issues arise that I have no control over I can press on. So it turns out that my coach Dr. David Vandergriff won't be able to coach me in Daegu during the championships. It really sucks, and I'm super bummed about it because we've been working really hard to be as successful as possible, and now he won't get to be there to see the hard work pay off. I guess that's all part of life, adapt and overcome right? Anyway, I leave in less than two weeks with just a bit more motivation to do well.

Love and Blessings,

Amber

Philippians 4:13

ONE YEAR OUT

I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but today we have exactly ONE YEAR until the start of the Olympic Games in London. Can you believe we are this close already? I can't. It doesn't seem like Beijing was that long ago. I guess the old adage is true: Time waits for no man! And speaking of time flying there is only one month until the start of this year's World Championships in South Korea. My last series of meets really made this month pass quickly. The last meet I went to was in Podova, Italy, and I LOVE going to Italy. Its such a pretty country and the bonus of that trip was I won my last competition before I came home. The double bonus was that I was able to spend an afternoon in Venice riding on the canal, taking pictures, and eating gelato!

On a whole different note!

I just wanted to share a bit of my personal life with you all...

Life, in my opinion, is a series of events and milestones that shape and define our lives. If we are lucky, we even get to share it with people we love. This weekend I was able to witness my oldest brother beginning a new life with his wife. It was so wonderful to see their expression of love for each other. It was also the first time in a long while that all of my brothers and I have been together for any reason. This was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time!

Love and Blessings,

Amber

Cork, Ireland

Let me first say Ireland is beautiful, and the people are super friendly! I'm staying at a great place called Edenhall @ The Village. We have these cute little suite style rooms with private bathrooms (bonus)! The track was located really close to our accommodations, so it was very convenient. A big thank you to all of the staff who made my stay and this event so warm and welcoming! And a special shout out to my girl Tianna Madison for fixing my computer so I can not die from boredom...check out her blog too at: TiannaMadison.com.

The competition today on paper was not at all what I had planned in my head. The original plan was to open up with a solid mark, and then let loose and see just how far I could get my hammer to fly. What happened in reality was a foul on my first throw that was indeed solid at about 68-70m, but the official said I stepped on top of the ring. Ok, I see how this day is going to shape up so being cautious I wasn't as aggressive as I wanted to be. With a few more foot fouls that flew well and safety throws, I finished in second place. But its a good warm up for the meet in Reims, France on Tuesday.

Yesterday on Facebook I posted an inspiring link from womentalksports.com featuring my friend Olympian Shot Putter Michelle Carter. It talked about competing to win, instead of competing to just not lose. About the battle that we as athletes go through between striving toward our best and fighting off self doubt and second guessing ourselves. That article really spoke to me because in a season where I'm building on new and better technique, I've had some inconsistencies. I've had some really good days, and some really bad days, but the key is to stay focused and know that I'm getting better with each new experience. I know that in order to reach Olympic Gold, I have to remain strong and committed to my goal. Everyday and every competition is a new chance to do something I've never done before.

Peace and Blessings,
Amber

It Only Takes One!

Last Saturday's national championship reinforced one of the things I love most about hammer throwing; one throw is all it takes! That simply means, you could be having the best or worst throws of your life, and it only takes one throw to completely change the outcome. In my case, my very last throw took me from 5th place and NOT making the world team, to 2nd place and making my third World Championship team!!! Now with that said, not making the world team was never even an option in my head. Having known the pain of failure in 2004, when I fouled out of the NCAA championships then turned around and didn't make the Olympic team that same year, and missed the world team in 2007, I was not about to endure that again! But up until that last throw, from the outside looking in, it was a completely different story. I fouled my first attempt, and thats never a good way to start a high level comp. I followed that up with a "safe" 67 and knew I made the final. That should have been the green light in my head to loosen up and let it fly, but that didn't quite happen. My last throw of prelims was a not so flattering 64. So going into finals I was in 4th place. I wasn't worried about it because the finals become a whole new comp so to speak. My fourth round throw I put a bit more "umph" on it and it only comes up a 66. At this point I know I'm running out of opportunities to seal my spot on the team, and I start really thinking about my technique and making sure its going to feel perfect. Well my next throw does feel really good, but as Dave said "you don't get style points" and I went waaaay too slow and dropped it at a meager 63. Dave at this point is not happy with how I'm not stepping up like we know I can and reminded me of some really important things. 1. I've worked too hard and done it the right way. 2. When situations are tough, champions thrive under pressure. 3. And its not going to take a miracle to make the team, just do what I know how to do! With the encouragement of him, my family, and the crowd I stepped into the circle for my final throw and clenched my spot with a throw of 70.07 for 2nd place. Of course I would have loved to win, but that might have been the sweetest feeling 70m throw of my life! Needless to say I definatly had to thank God for giving me the fortitude to dig deep and go for that one. What a day!!!!!

Now I'm sitting in Cork, Ireland preparing for my next adventure in throwing. On Saturday I'll be competing in the Cork City Sports International Athletics Meeting. I'm not sure who is going to be here, but whomever it is, I hope they're ready for a battle. I have some unspent anger I need to unleash. :-) Until next time!

Love and Blessings,

Amber

Lessons Learned

I've been home for a while now and I've had time to reflect on my Brazilian meet series. While I didn't throw as far in these meets as I've thrown earlier in the season, I learned a lot about myself as an athlete. I'm a creature of habit, but when I'm abroad I can't let that become a distraction. Everyone has to deal with the same delays, time constraints, or annoyances so I just have to deal and get over it. Situations are rarely exactly what I want them to be. Champions adapt and overcome!

This week I reached a new milestone in my life, I turned 30!!!! I had a lot of people tell me that "its all downhill from here" but that's because in my opinion, they're short sighted. I'm just now starting to hit a good stride in my career, and there are quite literally a million things that I still want to accomplish in my life. So while they say its all downhill, I say I'm only beginning to climb the hill!

The 2011 Outdoor National Championships are coming up in Eugene, OR on Saturday June 25th. For those of you who can't make it, they're televising it on Universal from 3p-4:30p EST and on Sunday June 26th from 5p-6p EST on NBC. Good luck to all the athletes as we compete to make the World Championship Team! Daegu, here we come!

Peace and Blessings,
Amber

Word Up from Brazil

Just wanted to let you know how I did today. I placed 5th again at 68.83m. Felt better than the last meet, so I'm building into my big throw for the big meet on the 26th in Rio. Chasing Yipsi Moreno of Cuba, Jenny Dalgren from Argentina, and Sultan Frizel from Canada...they all beat me at both meets but not by much. I just gotta relax and do me! When I get into the rhythm of my throw, i don't have anything to worry about cuz I know its going to fly. I just have to do what I do.

Thanks to everybody for their support. I'm having a great time, and gaining some invaluable experiece. Rio is the big hammer challenge meet and big things are coming! www.cbat.org.br. its in portuguese, but just google translate it on your pc. To see the results. Meet on Tuesday was in Uberlandia, today was Sao Paulo and next meet is in Rio!!!!!

Rio Rio

Amber's in Rio. Throwing long and strong. We have to work on getting her travel legs under her. Since she is down there competing in 3 meets (1 down placed 5th) she should improve in meets 2 and 3. Good Luck Amber.

Daegu

Well this was certainly an interesting trip. I arrived on Monday night excited about the upcoming week because this was the first overseas meet of the year. Not only that, but it was the World Championships Preview for this coming August. I had a good training session on Tuesday where I took about a dozen throws so I could get my legs under me, and it went well. The field wasn't marked so I'm not exactly sure where they were landing, but the rhythm of the throw felt good. Wednesday was a rest day, and I was hoping to get in some shopping so I could see some of the city and stretch my legs but it rained heavy the whole day so I read a book instead. I woke up this morning pumped up and looking forward to big stuff popping off in this competition. We took our two warm-up throws in order of how we would compete, and off we went. I stepped into the circle for my first throw and let it fly...at least I thought so, they marked it at a whopping 65m. It didn't feel that bad, so I knew I had some work to do. My second throw I told myself to relax and let the ball do its work. Which it did, but my feet didn't cooperate and I fouled out of the side of the ring and the sector. The upside of that was the distance was about 70m but it doesn't matter if I don't keep it in. Ok, so I know I need to get this thing moving and I take my time to make sure my technique is good on my third throw, but I guess I took way too much off and it only went 64m. Last throw, and to my surprise I'm still not sweating the fact that I don't have a respectable mark on the books yet. So I'm smiling to myself knowing that it only takes one good throw to change the outcome of the competition. I step into the ring for my last throw, then let it rip! I knew I tagged that one and when it came up on the screen....67.87 (que sad music) my feelings were so hurt! I guess I didn't realized that my jets were totally not firing today. But that's just the way the cookie crumbled today. I finished in 6th place. I'm going to chalk this one up to experience and look ahead to better days. But not until I make a very special trip to Indianapolis for my best friend's wedding!!!!! If she lets me, I'll post a couple pics of the blessed event. My next meet is in beautiful Brazil! So I will definately have pics to post of that.

On to the next one,
Amber

The Saga Continues

The weather was nice and I felt it time to go big. This was my second outdoor meet and my first trip to the west coast for the outdoor season. The Mt. SAC relays is always a high energy meet full of elite level athletes. The air was full of excitement and the conditions were right mentally and physically for some long throws. My brother came down from the Bay Area to support TEAM CAMPBELL. I had a good week of practice leading up the event, and I was hoping to put something special together. I was towards the bottom of the flight which put pressure on me to open up with a solid mark, because there was strong competition behind me. I came out the gates with my game face on and popped a respectable 70 meter toss. My next mark was a bit of a whoops, but it still dropped in at 66 meters. The next two rounds I got it together and built on the first round throw with marks of 71 meters. At this point I started to figure out what was lacking in my throw. I thought back to what me and Dave had went over leading up to the meet. It was time to trust in my technique and relax into a good throw. Focusing my mind, I went into my routine, and unleashed a 72 meter bomb. When the dust settled and mark was measured it was a PR of ( 72.59). Video of PR coming soon.

Stayed tuned Friday April 29th I will be in Ashland Ohio for the Ashland Alumni Elite Meet.

I am excited for another competition and I hope to put something good together. This will be my last meet stateside untill nationals. See you at the ring

Peace and Blessings,

Amber

Let The Games Begin!

Wow, oh wow! The 2011 outdoor season is already here and its off on a good foot! Yesterday I opened up in at the CCU Shamrock Invitational held at Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach. Its always a fun meet with great weather, and they named the women's invitational section after me so I had to throw LOL! My series started off a little rocky with a foul, but then my next throw was technically sound at 70.89. Then the ball started moving better and the next throws were 71.29, 71.09, AND 72.08!!!!! The last throw was a foul out of the right sector, but it was moving well too. What made the day more special was that I got to share it with my friends and co-workers from Sports Doctors, Inc. There were even two other Olympians who competed in the meet, Bershawn "Batman" Jackson and Zola Bud Pieterse. Good luck to CCU and the other teams that are competing today in the last day of the meet. So thanks to everyone who came out to support and have some fun. My next meet will be the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, CA next month. That meet will have some of the top ranked women in North America representing and dropping bombs!
Love and Blessings,
Amber

Indoor Season is almost wrapped up

Yesterday Amber put the cap on a great indoor season with her 5th Indoor Championship title. She has been the Indoor Champ for the last 5 years. While this season has been difficult off of the field she has certainly made sure that she "airs" out her grievences on the field. She took first at the Millrose Games in NYC in January with a throw of 24.10 m (79'1" for those not on the metric system). And in the Indoor Championship she walked away with a throw of 24.21 m (79'5.25"). You Rock AMBER!!!!
http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=37543#ooid=95czYyMjpQHLfwc14D7T2jMjBhmzdkic

Happy New Year!!!

Should old acquaintances be forgot, and never brought to mind? Of course not! It's a new year and time for new adventures. My first adventure kicks off in two weeks when I travel to Virgina Tech for the first indoor meet of the season. Its been a great fall and I can't wait to see the results of the hard work start to pay off. Working with Youri Sedykh for a week in France and then again for nearly a week last month has been a great experience for my coach and I. We've all learned a lot from each other, so I'm expecting a lot out of this season. But more than anything I'm expecting to have a lot of fun, have a lot of new goals met, and keep pushing toward 2012 with as much fire as I can muster! As you may or may not know, I don't do resolutions, I set goals. So I would love to hear from you what are your goals or resolutions for this year? I wish all of you a blessed, happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!


Love and Blessings,

Amber