By Kelley O’Grady
It may seem crazy to devote four years of your life to travelling 10 more metres, but that’s exactly what Megann Vandervliet is doing.
Megann Vandervliet looks fierce as she winds the hammer around before releasing. Photo by Roger Rhode.
Those 10 metres are what separate Kamloops hammer thrower Megann Vandervliet from her dream — to throw 70 metres and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Despite having first picked up a hammer less than a year ago, Vandervliet felt the excitement of this past summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing spark a fire within her.
Vandervliet’s powerful throw brings her right off the ground.
She has set her goals high as she hopes to gain 10 additional metres on her fourth-place throw of 59.32 at the 2008 Canadian Olympic trials in Windsor, Ontario. Considering the mark she reached after just six months of training, Vandervliet is confident reaching the 70-metre mark is an attainable goal.
Vandervliet, an Oakville, Ont. native, moved to Kamloops in November 2007 to pursue her post-graduate throwing career after an invitation to train with world-renowned throws coach Anatoly Bondarchuk of the Kamloops Track and Field Club.
“It wasn’t that difficult of a decision,” says Vandervliet. ” Dr. Bondarchuk is the world’s best coach and for me this was a great opportunity to further my career and improve my shot at reaching the highest level possible. Kamloops has some of the greatest facilities to train in and the greatest throwers to train with.”
She attended Calvin College in Michigan, where after a short stint playing soccer in her freshman year, she decided to try her hand at throwing shot put and discus. She was named a four-time all-American in these events.
A lot of time and dedication go into training for the world ’s stage and Vandervliet has a four-year plan to get there.
“I need to train hard everyday, five days a week, twice a day and continue to make training my number one priority,” she says. “I have to utilize training with the best coach in the world and get the competitive experiences I need by seeking out opportunities to compete in North America and worldwide.”
Vandervliet trains twice daily and follows a rigorous training schedule, consisting of an hour working on throwing technique, followed by an hour of strength training and core workouts. She also visits an athletic therapist four times a week to work on injury prevention as well as spending time with a massage therapist twice weekly.
“I work on Megann a minimum of four times a week to work on core training, flexibility, prehab and rehab,” says Kevin Brechin, athletic therapist. “Throwers see a lot of overuse injuries because they are always turning to their left, creating a body imbalance that is a major cause of injury. Flexibility, core strength and balance are a key to Megann’s long-term success.”
To some this might sound like a nice schedule — train, get a massage, take a nap. However, Vandervliet still has to find time to work, eat and rest. Training for the Olympics is not a paying job for most Canadian athletes.
“The hardest part is learning to live on a really tight budget, unfortunately women’s hammer isn’t a sport where you typically make a lot of money, and it’s not a financially stable career,” says Vandervliet.
She wakes up at 5 a.m. to work at the City of Kamloops Wellness Centre until her 10:30 a.m. training time. Vandervliet also works a second job at Runner’s Sole during evenings and weekends and also works at the Tournament Capital Centre as a certified personal trainer.
With the majority of her time spent training, Vandervliet is unable to pursue a career in exercise science, which was her major at Calvin. Right now, training is her priority and the career aspect of her life is on hold for at least four years.
“I see myself as fortunate; training is a resume builder for me because I want to coach and work in exercise science when I am finished with throwing, this is a step in the right direction,” she says. “You only have so many years to be a professional athlete; I don’t see this as that big of a sacrifice to my career because it is what I love to do.”
Vandervliet’s teammate, veteran thrower Jennifer Joyce acknowledges that although throwing is very rewarding, sometimes the sacrifices weigh heavily, especially as one gets older and major steps in life like buying a house, starting a career and having a family are put on the backburner.
“Every year that I can’t contribute to my retirement makes me mad, the fact that I am unable to buy a house, and that I live basically at a poverty level is frustrating; there are temptations to go out and have drinks and eat whatever I want,” says Joyce. “It’s hard, but in the end the sacrifices are totally worthwhile.”
Vandervliet is aiming to gain a position each year on her fourth-place ranking to reach her goal of making the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team. She has the facilities, the support system and the teammates necessary to give her every advantage.
“Megann is new to the sport, so I don’t compete with her in practice head to head, but she is very motivated and confident in her abilities,” says Joyce. “I try to be a role model and give her advice about technique, lifting, and even how to approach our coach. I know how important a role model can be for a young thrower.”
It’s a long road ahead but each day and each year are a stepping stone for Vandervliet.
“In all that I do, I think ‘is this going to help me reach my goal of 70 metres?’ If it’s not, I don’t do it,” says Vandervliet.
Megann Vandervliet’s Day
5 a.m. Wake up
5:30 a.m. Breakfast
6 – 10 a.m. Work
10 a.m. Snack
10:30-12:30 p.m. Training
12:45 p.m. Lunch
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Power nap
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Physiotherapy
3:15 p.m. Snack
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Training
6 p.m. Dinner
7 p.m. Work
10 p.m. Bed
