WSU's Henry goes down at NCAA's, still All-American
DES MOINES, Iowa -- As she took her mark in Friday evening's women's 3,000 meter finals at the 2012 NCAA outdoor track and field championships, Weber State's Amber Henry figured nothing could hold her back; not even a broken clavicle, torn meniscus and bruised femur were going to kept her down.
Turns out, it got worse before it got better.
Henry, a junior from Mountain View, Wyo., and the 2012 Big Sky Conference women's steeplechase champion, was cruising along at the NCAA meet on Friday but half way through the race, she caught one of the barriers, fell and in the process, dislocated he arm.
Undaunted, Henry used her jersey as a sling for the next lap and caught back up with the pack. Just after that lap, she "popped" the elbow back in place and took off.
Henry ran her slowest time of the year, 10.26.30, and finished 11th, but earned the respect and admiration of not only her fellow competitors, but the fans as well.
"Everybody thought she had broken her arm," said WSU assistant coach Paul Pilkington. "Everyone kind of gasped when she got it back in place, then cheered her on. What a unbelievably tough competitor."
Her 11th place finished earned her second team All-America honors.
I truely believe that the sport of running can show a lot about the character of a person. Amber Henry has a lot of the good stuff. I have known her since high school when she came and stayed at my house for a week to train with my high school cross country team. she was an undertrained high school athlete that also played basketball and volleyball, so her running only lasted about 3 months a year and she was still good. of course she exploded in college once she was able to get some consistent training in.
another example of just how tough this girl is: last summer i lived in ogden and ran into her on a trail. i asked her how her training had been. she said good except for she broke her toe a week ago. and i looked down at her foot. she had cut a hole at the end of her shoe so her big toe that was broken, and black and blue could hang out of the shoe and be "more comfortable" to run on. yeah, i know right?
so i wasn't surprised after reading this article. i would totally expect this from her. regardless, it is completely inspirational.
Turns out, it got worse before it got better.
Henry, a junior from Mountain View, Wyo., and the 2012 Big Sky Conference women's steeplechase champion, was cruising along at the NCAA meet on Friday but half way through the race, she caught one of the barriers, fell and in the process, dislocated he arm.
Undaunted, Henry used her jersey as a sling for the next lap and caught back up with the pack. Just after that lap, she "popped" the elbow back in place and took off.
Henry ran her slowest time of the year, 10.26.30, and finished 11th, but earned the respect and admiration of not only her fellow competitors, but the fans as well.
"Everybody thought she had broken her arm," said WSU assistant coach Paul Pilkington. "Everyone kind of gasped when she got it back in place, then cheered her on. What a unbelievably tough competitor."
Her 11th place finished earned her second team All-America honors.
I truely believe that the sport of running can show a lot about the character of a person. Amber Henry has a lot of the good stuff. I have known her since high school when she came and stayed at my house for a week to train with my high school cross country team. she was an undertrained high school athlete that also played basketball and volleyball, so her running only lasted about 3 months a year and she was still good. of course she exploded in college once she was able to get some consistent training in.
another example of just how tough this girl is: last summer i lived in ogden and ran into her on a trail. i asked her how her training had been. she said good except for she broke her toe a week ago. and i looked down at her foot. she had cut a hole at the end of her shoe so her big toe that was broken, and black and blue could hang out of the shoe and be "more comfortable" to run on. yeah, i know right?
so i wasn't surprised after reading this article. i would totally expect this from her. regardless, it is completely inspirational.
Seriously is right! Nate and I were watching this and were BLOW away by her. I couldn't decide if she was crazy or not, haha. Makes me feel like a baby for ever taking anytime off due little 'ouchies'. I would love to see her continue to do well!
ReplyDeleteP.S. thanks for the comment on my blog :)