No Stay-At-Home Mom
Published: Aug 18, 2007
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For the elite athlete, there isn't usually a second chance. Time and injuries take a toll on the body, and there's a small window that exists in order to be able to compete at a high level.
That's not the case for Tampa Bay area resident Wanda Johnson, whose dream of becoming an Olympic competitor is still alive.
At 37, Johnson is trying to qualify for the 2008 Olympic track and field trials, to be held next summer in Eugene, Ore. If successful, her attempt will be in the women's shot put and discus events.
But the single mother of four didn't decide on a whim to start training for the chance to represent her country.
In fact, Johnson's recent comeback has reaped her two gold medals at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Masters Championships held last month in Bangor, Maine. Johnson was first in both the shot put and discus for her age group. Johnson said her children can hardly believe their mother is once again competing on a national level.
"They're already telling people that their mom is in the Olympics," Johnson said. "They have high hopes for me."
Johnson will also be bestowed with a prestigious honor in September, when she will receive the USA Track and Field Masters Female Athlete of the Year for Florida.
Johnson's desire to participate in the Olympics began when she was just a child, admiring the accomplishments of athletes from a different era, and wanting to be a part of the dream they represented.
"When I was 10 years old, I used to look at the old black and white films of Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph," Johnson said. "Ever since then, seeing that gold medal getting laid in their hands, I knew that's what I wanted to do."
Johnson continued her quest as a teenager and found success. During her senior year at Hillsborough High (1988), she won a state title in the discus.
"I was the only one who went to state from my entire school and we had a really good boys 4x100 team, too," Johnson said. "My coaches were great. It was awesome."
One of those coaches who helped train her during that senior year was Steve West, who has been coaching track and field in Hillsborough County for more than 30 years. He was also an Olympic official during the 1996 Atlanta Games and has officiated at several U.S. Olympic trials.
"It's hard to work and train," said West. "You got to be able to train full time. If she gets that chance, then she is definitely capable of qualifying for the Olympic trials."
West has continued to coach Johnson beyond high school and has been an integral part of her life.
"A lot of the reasons that I kept going into different types of sports outside of my talent is the motivation I got from him," Johnson said. "He told me after high school, that he would be with me during my career for the rest of my life, or until I stopped doing everything."
That type of guidance helped Johnson receive a track scholarship to Odessa (Texas) College. In 1990, she nearly qualified for the Olympic trials, coming about 2 feet short in the shot put. In 1991, Johnson got married and had her first child, which temporarily put a hold on her ability to train and compete.
"My priorities changed a little bit," Johnson said. "I really wanted to compete, but I was trying to put family first."
So athletics got put on the back burner while Johnson took care of her four children: Ebony, 15, Komae, 10, Derrick, 8, and Luke Christian, 7. Johnson didn't regret what she did because she was able to give full attention to her family. But 13 years later, her relationship with her husband ended in a divorce and she immediately moved with her children to Orlando.
That's where she met Pete McGuire, a bodybuilder who encouraged her to start training again. So in 2006, Johnson began to take steps that would lead her toward the Olympic dream.
Johnson began working out at least three hours a day and increased her weight to 180 pounds, a major change from when she weighed as little as 135 in college.
"This is the largest I've ever been and pound-for-pound, my muscle [mass] is very good," Johnson said. "Once I get my speed up, I'll be exactly where I need to be."
In 2007, she hired McGuire full time in order to start competing seriously again. Unfortunately for Johnson, her funds ran out and she was forced to move back to Tampa where West took over where McGuire left off.
Although West helps her train, Johnson still needs the proper financial assistance in order to take her to the next level.
Recently, Johnson got sponsorship help at the Masters Championship from the Florida Athletic Club, with whom she is also a member. The trip to Maine was also financed by former Buccaneer Tyrone Keys, who is founder and executive director of All Sports Community Service, Inc.
She is 43 feet away from qualifying for the trials in the discus, and 10 feet away from the shot put. If she makes one of the top-25 spots in either event, all of her expenses for the trials will be paid for by USA Track and Field.
"It's very hard to do something on your own, so when you have your family behind you, pushing you, encouraging you, and showing you all the love, along with your willpower, you can do anything you can put your mind to."
