Williams Graduate Dan Austin '06 heads to U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials
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| Dan Austin '06 |
Even when you think everything is set up for success it does not always work out the way you expect.
Just weeks after winning his second straight NCAA Division III discus title Dan Austin opened some eyes on the national scene when he was the top collegiate finisher and fourth overall at the 2006 U.S. Nationals. Austin uncorked a 198' 9" throw at the U.S. Nationals and the weekend before he gave what seemed to be a preview of coming attractions when he launched the discus 208' at a throwers only meet at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Sensing that he was about to make a major breakthrough in his throwing development and wanting to take advantage of every opportunity to find out where he stood as a thrower, Austin used his final year of eligibility to take graduate school courses at the University of Arizona so he could compete as one of the Wildcats' throwers.
Austin had overcome a spate of injuries that plagued his career, limiting him to just three years of competition at Williams. He was anxious to get to Arizona and work with throwing coach John Frazier and use the ideal training conditions to elevate his development. By the time Austin arrived at Arizona only the ideal training conditions remained as three days before Austin's arrival Frazier took a job at the University of Tennessee. "I was happy for coach Frazer to get the job he wanted, but I had come to throw and train with him and now I had no idea who would be my coach," commented Austin.
Arizona named Craig Carter its head coach of throws two months later. "I had been through a change in coaches while I was at Williams when Fletcher Brooks left and Matt Campanelli replaced him, but that was two guys who understood my style was finesse and not strength and power. "Coach Carter just did not get my style and I remember when he saw me throw the first time," Austin said, "Coach Carter said, whoa, what is this all about." Suffice it to say that Carter and Austin just did not click.
Despite having opulent training facilities available every day, weather conditions that enabled him to throw outdoors all the time, a track team only locker room, free protein shakes, extensive weight training facilities and frequent massages Austin just could not get back to his Williams level of throwing at Arizona. "Arizona worked hard to try to set up the throwers for success, but it just did not fit my style, I guess," said Austin. "I worked hard but could not improve. I basically just took enough classes to make me eligible so academics was not a distraction at all because the classes were pretty easy – something was just not right though. I think in the end I just over trained."
When the outdoor track season at Arizona ended Austin was sick of throwing and he even turned his back on competing in the 2007 U.S. Nationals; instead opting to become a fly-fishing guide in Colorado – honest – which had always been a dream of his.
Fly-fishing brought Dan Austin back to throwing the discus again – could there be two more different styles of throwing? "As you lead groups of men around and fish you tend to have times when everyone is sitting around telling personal stories of who they are and things they wished they had done," remembered Austin. "After a while when I would tell guys why I was there the overwhelming majority of them told me to go back and throw… don't have any regrets was the message," recalled Austin. Shortly thereafter Austin found himself making regular drives into Steamboat Springs to work out because he was getting the urge to throw again.
Austin returned to his hometown of Mechanicsburg, Penn., in October and became as assistant track and field coach at Gettysburg College, worked the morning shift at Starbucks and trained n the afternoons. Pretty soon Austin was throwing in some little meets in Pennsylvania and feeling good about his efforts.
A few weeks ago Austin headed West, yet again, this time flying over Colorado to California where he intended to compete with some of the nation's top throwers in both California and Hawaii. Both California and Hawaii are known to have throwing conditions on occasion that can be most favorable to throwers.
In a meet in Salinas, Calif., Austin was convinced he was back when he fired the platter 205'. That was the good news. The bad news is Austin is still a long ways from achieving his Olympic dream in Beijing in 2008.
Six more feet and a large portion of luck would put Austin on the U.S. Olympic Team. The "A" Standard for making the U.S. Team is 211' and that's the first requirement. "Even if I somehow managed to win the Olympic Trails at the end of the month in Eugene [Oregon] it would not matter if I did not at least throw 211'." Provided Austin does throw 211' feet and finish in the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials he will advance to Beijing.
Austin has thrown in Eugene once before in the NCAA Regionals in 2007 when he was an Arizona Wildcat. "It's not the same as throwing in California so hitting 211' will be tough, but I feel good about where I am right now and I'm even thinking of continuing my training because most of the top throwers in the world mature between 28-34," said Austin.
Whether or not Austin makes the U.S. Olympic Team this year he has rediscovered himself as a thrower and he knows that over the next two years he has committed to Teach for America. Austin has been assigned to teach in Bronx, N.Y., the home of Fordham University, where he hopes to work out a training arrangement with the Rams' track teams.
