Opinion: Air Force graduate Pounds rests Olympic hopes on a throw of faith

Her Bible was open, which is no surprise. If Dana Pounds, a 2006 Air Force Academy graduate, isn't throwing a javelin, she's probably examining her little black book.

On Tuesday morning, as she prepared to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Pounds relaxed in a fast-food restaurant on Academy Boulevard and pondered Peter's second letter in the New Testament.

When Pounds opens her Bible, she travels far beyond mere reading. These words, written centuries ago, seize control of her heart.

She needs to stretch her imagination. She needs to throw the javelin 2 feet farther than she ever has to represent the U.S. in Beijing.

She clings to faith despite protests from a powerful skeptic.

"Satan's been playing with my mind, saying you don't have what it takes," Pounds said, taking a sip of coffee.

She touched her Bible.

"And I'm saying, if The Word says that I have everything that it takes, then I'm not lacking."

Don't ever worry about Pounds lacking passion to overcome. She's spent her career defying the odds.

She arrived at Air Force expecting to play point guard for the basketball team. After a frustrating freshman season, she switched her considerable will to track and field.

She never had thrown a javelin in her life. Six years later, she could compete in the Olympics.

She will compete in the prelims of the trials Saturday and appears a near lock to take part in Monday's finals in Eugene, Ore.

She faces a daunting task. To qualify for the Olympics, she must finish in the top three at the trials, but that's not her biggest obstacle.

She also must throw 198 feet, 6 inches to meet Olympic qualifying standards, and her best throw is 196-6.

Pounds once took big leaps tossing the javelin, which is 7 feet, 2 inches long, weighs 1.3 pounds and resembles a spear.

She threw 174 feet as a sophomore, 188 feet as a junior and 195 feet as a senior. She won NCAA titles her last two seasons and departed as Air Force's all-time greatest female athlete.

But since graduating, while she's been a member of the Air Force's World Class Athlete Program, her increases have been in mere inches.

She's a realist. She knows the gold medalist in Beijing will throw about 230 feet, far beyond her current capabilities.

So she's formulated a reasonable goal. She hopes to make the top dozen and compete in the Olympic finals.

As Pounds prepares, she faces a complicated task. Throwing a javelin looks easy. It's not.

Pounds must combine body-jolting effort with precise technique. She must think, but not too much. She will take six years of tireless work to the trials, but she can't let emotions overwhelm her.

"I'm super-confident," she said. "I haven't connected on a throw this season with force, with power, with health or with sleep."

She believes she can deliver the best throw of her life at the trials. She's launched eight throws this season longer than 190 feet. She's convinced she can, finally, bust past 198-6 and travel to Beijing.

Yes, she hears Satan's voice questioning her, but that's fine. She plans to silence The Evil One in Eugene.

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Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at 476-4895 or david.ramsey@gazette.com. Check out David's blog, David Ramsey Says What?, at daveramseysez.freedomblogging.com