Q&A with Britney Henry, Elite Athlete Grantee

Britney is an elite, world-class hammer thrower. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, grew up in San Diego, CA and trains six days a week at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. She was kind enough to take a break from her busy schedule and sit down with us for a few minutes.

Foundation: Who inspired and provided guidance to you when you first started in track & field?

BH: In a round-about way, my family inspired me to be a track and field athlete. My family has always tried to be the best at everything, and that carried on in me. And I wanted to have my varsity lettermen's jacket all four years in high school. :)

I had been a softball player my whole life, but I moved to track and field early, when I was a freshman in high school. Our softball team was one of the best in the state. I realized it would take years before I would be a starter on the softball team, so I switched to track and field, where I could letter.

I became a hurdler and was one of the best my freshmen year. I was a hurdler until my junior year of high school when I tripped at the finish line, after the 300 hurdles, and sprained my ankle pretty bad. I had just learned how to throw the hammer, so I made the decision to stop jumping hurdles and start spinning in circles! I was never that great at the hurdles and I felt that I could have more success in the hammer. I am glad that I made the switch...my shins are too. :)

Once I started throwing the hammer, my coach at the time, Arnie Tyler Jr., provided the guidance that I needed in the hammer. He made the event fun and reassured me if I stuck at it, my dreams would come true. He was right, too. A college scholarship, traveling the world, and meeting life-long friends, were, are, all dreams that I hoped to come true. Now, there is just one more dream that I want to come true...OLYMPICS. :)

Foundation: If you weren't a hammer thrower, what other event would you like to compete in? Have you ever tried a running event?

BH: That is a tough choice. I love all the events in track and field. Each event is unique and they all seem like a challenge, which I like. I know that I would never go back to the hurdles, my shins would hate me. I would have to say that I would like to compete in the long jump. I love the feeling of flying, so I think that I would like it. I also love the beach, so jumping into sand would remind me of the beach. :)

Foundation: You seem to have a flare for comedy, as some of your blog entries are quite humorous. Have you ever considered doing stand-up?

BH: I think you confused my goofiness for comedy. I am a pretty goofy person and that mostly comes from the “blonde moments” I have throughout the day. I also love to laugh and smile and I always make sure that the people around are smiling and laughing. I sort of feel uncomfortable if people are not happy. That is when I either try to make a funny joke, or if all else fails, make fun of myself. To answer your question, no, I have never considered doing stand-up. I am actually a pretty shy person, but once I get to know you, I open up...and try to make you laugh. :)

HANGIN' WITH THE LADIES: ADRIAN BLEWITT, AMBER CAMPBELL, BRITNEY & KARA PATTERSON

Foundation: Twenty years from now at this very moment, you are standing where and doing what?

BH: Twenty years from now, I want to be standing on my front porch watching my kids play in the front yard. I love the hammer and athletics in general, but I also look forward to when I move on from competing and start a family. It is weird to think about, because I am not in the position to even think about kids and a family, but it is nice to think about it.

Foundation: Do you have any training tips or advice for the aspiring hammer thrower or weekend warrior?

BH: Always remember why you started to throw, or whatever you do. Whenever I get caught up in my throwing, worrying about the little things, I think back to when I first started to throw the hammer. I loved the feeling of spinning in circles and putting speed on the ball. Also, never forget to have fun. One does not have enough time to be frustrated and angry. Time is precious, so make sure that your time is spent having as much fun as you can.

Foundation: Which other track & field events and athletes do you follow?

BH: I try to follow all the events, but I usually just follow the throwing events. I am always checking the results at whatever meets my throwing buddies are at. Once again, I love to see people happy, and if my throwing buddies have a great meet, they are happy.

Foundation: Please tell us how the Britney Henry Project came to being.

AK: The Britney Henry Project came to be at my cousin’s 18th birthday party. Graham Smith and Dawn Vitale are neighbors and friends of my aunt. While we were all at the party, we got to talking about the hammer throw and what it entails. They then asked me if I had a "press kit" and other media stuff. I told them that I didn't even know what a Press Kit was. The rest is history! They have helped me so much and I could not give them enough credit. Graham is an illustrator and Dawn does social media. Brent Haywood is my photographer and has taken some great shots of me. Andrei Booriakin has made a few videos of the hammer throw and Mark Matcho has made a great soundtrack for one of the videos. Steve Cormen has also written an article on my story of how I became a hammer thrower. They are all amazing at what they do and I am so lucky to have them helping me and teaching me all about media.

Follow Britney on Twitter, http://thebritneyhenryproject.blogspot.com/ & Olympian in Progress.

Please contact Tom Jackovic, Executive Director, USATF Foundation at (412) 398-2484 for additional information about Elite Athlete support programs.

PHOTO BY BRENT HAYWOOD, THE BRITNEY HENRY PROJECT

STRETCHING IT AT HAYWOOD FIELD

DAN O'BRIEN, IAN DOBSON, MOI & CHRIS SOLINSKY

JUST CRUISIN'