When I mentioned to a few friends of mine that I was going to interview fellow Gustie Lisa Brown, the first words that came flying out of their mouths were something like this: “Lisa…she’s hilarious!” followed closely by “she’s an amazing athlete; she went to the Olympic Trials for javelin throwing this year.” I had never met Lisa before, so I really had no idea what to expect. However, in just our short half-hour interview, I could see why Lisa’s peers were so quick to comment on her sense of humor and her athletic accomplishments.
Lisa transferred from MSU to Gustavus halfway through her first year of college after discovering that she preferred a small college setting. Although she’d been throwing both shot and disc since her freshman year of high school, she never picked up the javelin until college. “I thought the javelin sounded like fun,” she said, “but I didn’t know that I would be good at it.”
After progressively improving all season, Lisa found herself competing at the 2006 National Championships. “I was ranked sixteenth out of eighteen going into Nationals,” she said, “so I didn’t expect to win.” However, after throwing 154 feet and six inches, a new personal best by almost eighteen feet, Lisa was named the 2006 National Champion in javelin. “I was so surprised,” she said. “I went crazy and my coach went crazy. Seeing how happy my coaches and family were was probably the best part.”
After that, she and her coach, Tom Thorkelson, began more intense, javelin-specific training. “I do a lot of javelin-specific weight training and I swim, bike and run. Sometimes,” she laughed, “I feel more like I’m training for a triathlon.” During her sophomore year, Lisa competed in the 2007 National Championship, but this time she didn’t win. She placed second. “Freshman year,” Lisa said, “I thought ‘Wow. I’m going to train for the Olympics,’ but when I didn’t improve as much over sophomore year, I wondered if that goal was too far-fetched.”
Apparently, her hopes were not too far-fetched. Although the 2008 track season got off to an interesting start-all three of the home track meets were canceled due to uncooperative weather-Lisa continued to excel. She placed seventh, the only Division III athlete in the top ten at the Drake Relays, which is a prestigious invitational track meet. Then, at the conference track meet, she broke the Gustavus and conference javelin record with a throw of 158 feet and five inches.
When the 2008 National Championships came along, she went in ranked first and came out ranked first. Commenting on her final throw of the championship, Lisa said, “I was standing on the runway thinking, I just won Nationals again. Whatever happens, happens.” And she threw a new personal best-174 feet and five inches-enough to qualify for the Olympic Trials. She is the first Gustie ever to qualify.
The track and field Olympic Trials were held in Eugene, Oregon, also known as “Track Town USA.” “The first day,” Lisa said, “I practiced and had the whole field to myself. It was like, ‘Wow. I’m really here.'”
Although she didn’t qualify for the Olympic Finals, finishing just one place shy of qualifying, Lisa now knows that she can compete with the very best athletes. She said, “Once I was done at the trials, I realized that even though I’m Division III, I can compete with these girls, and I can beat them.”
Thorkelson, her coach, said that his goal is to “make her the best she can be so she can compete at the international level.” That is Lisa’s goal as well. Now that she’s been to the Olympic Trials and competed with the best, Lisa said, “I’m training for the 2012 Olympics.” So, Gusties, even though this is her final year at Gustavus, keep an eye out for her at future Olympic games.
Photo By: Alex Messenger