|
|
|
garycohenrunning.com
be healthy • get more fit • race faster
| |
|
 
"All in a Day’s Run" is for competitive runners,
fitness enthusiasts and anyone who needs a "spark" to get healthier by increasing exercise and eating more nutritionally.
Click here for more info or to order
This is what the running elite has to say about "All in a Day's Run":
"Gary's experiences and thoughts are very entertaining, all levels of
runners can relate to them."
Brian Sell — 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathoner
"Each of Gary's essays is a short read with great information on training,
racing and nutrition."
Dave McGillivray — Boston Marathon Race Director
|
 |
|
| Michelle Carter won the 2016 Rio Olympic Gold Medal in the shot put in an American Record of 20.63 meters (67 feet, 8 inches). The three-time Olympian finished fifteenth at the 2008 Olympic Games and fifth at the 2012 Olympics. Michelle is also 2016 World Champion Indoors in the shot put. She has represented the U.S. on eight World Championship teams (outdoor – 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015; indoor – 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), earning Bronze Medals in 2012 and 2015. Michelle is 11-time U.S. Champion (seven outdoors and four indoors). She won the Silver Medal at the 2001 World Youth Championships and Gold Medals at the 2003 Junior Pan Am Games and 2004 World Junior Championships. At the University of Texas she was 2006 NCAA Champion in the shot put. Carter is a graduate of Red Oak (Texas) High School where she won four back to back 4A state championships in the shot put and discus, setting the national record in the shot put and the state record in the discus. Michelle’s father, Michael serves as her coach. He won the 1984 Olympic shot put Silver Medal and is the high school shot put record holder at 81 feet, 3.5 inches. Michelle graduated from the University of Texas in 2007 with a degree in Youth and Communities Studies, and a minor in Kinesiology. She has been featured in Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, ESPN, NBC, The Sacramento Bee, ESPN The Magazine, and Track and Field News. Carter is a certified Professional Makeup Artist who blends her passion for throwing and beauty and is owner of Shot Diva’s Makeup. She is the founder of You Throw Girl Sports Confidence Camp, a sports camp that focuses on the complete female athlete through confidence building and athletic empowerment. Michelle resides in Ovilla, Texas. She was so kind to spend an hour on the phone for this interview in October, 2016. |
|
| GCR: | You’ve been competing in the shot put for nearly twenty years since you started in your youth. This year in your third trip to the Olympics you won the Gold Medal. Could you compare what you thought beforehand it would mean to win the Gold Medal versus what it meant when it happened and how being Olympic Champion feels now that it has been a couple months since you won in Rio? |
| MC | You always think that you know what’s going to happen and how it will feel, but until it happens and, now that it has been a couple of months out, it is more than I ever thought it would be. I’m loving every minute of it. For me it was definitely a sigh of relief because it is something that I’ve been working on and has been my goal for so long. Sometimes you just never know if it’s going to happen or not going to happen. So, you always have to keep that positive mindset and keep working toward what you believe you can do. When you believe in yourself and your ability, then when it happens, it is like a dream come true. I’m trying to breathe and know that all of the hard work I have done is paying off and that it does make sense to do what I do. |
|
| GCR: | Sometimes in certain events there are many competitors who place high or earn medals over the years. But to win the Gold Medal you had to defeat Valerie Adams, the two-time defending Olympic Gold medalist and seven-time World Champion who had only lost in two competitions in the past ten years. How tough an opponent is Adams and how much sweeter is the Gold Medal when you beat such a great champion? |
| MC | For me it really doesn’t matter as it isn’t my focus if I have to beat a ten-time champion or whomever. I just come prepared to do my best. With that being said, it wouldn’t have mattered who I beat. I would have felt the same regardless. But knowing that there is someone who is consistent and can throw well any time, I just know that I have to bring my ‘A Game’ at all times. |
|
| GCR: | Your first five throws at Rio were all over 19 meters and you had three between 19.82 and 19.87. When you stepped into the ring for your last throw knowing Valerie Adams had thrown 20.42 meters, which was beyond your personal best of 20.24 meters, what was your thought process as you prepared to unleash what ended up being your Gold Medal throw? |
| MC | I thought that I wasn’t holding anything back. This was going to be my last throw at the Olympics and I had to go ‘all in’ and that was it. You know while you’re throwing you’re still working on some technical things and stuff you worked on in practice. I knew that my technique was consistent, but at that moment I had to make a decision to really tap into my competitive side and go after it. There was nothing else after that throw that I could do, so I wanted to make sure that I walked away from this Olympics knowing that I gave it my all and I withheld nothing back - that I gave it one hundred percent plus some for this throw. |
|
| GCR: | When I spoke with your father recently, he told me that he could tell his still-standing high school record throw of 81 feet, 3 1/2 inches was special. Could you feel that final shot put attempt was a real good one? |
| MC | I knew for sure that it felt better than all of my other throws. I wanted to be patient and to let my technique work. On that throw it felt differently than the other throws so I knew it went further. How far was the question and I had to wait to see how far it went until they measured it. |
|
| GCR: | What were your emotions when you moved into the lead, then when you had to watch Adams take her final throw and, finally, when she came up short and you realized you were Olympic Champion? |
| MC | I was happy, but I didn’t want to get too happy because I know that she is capable of throwing far as well. But knew that I came out here and competed at the Olympics and was going to walk away with a medal, and on top of that I had another PR. I hadn’t got a PR in my back pocket for years and you just never know when it’s going to come. For it to show up at the Olympic Games I was excited regardless if I received Silver or Gold. |
|
| GCR: | Can you describe your emotions and the thoughts that went through your mind when you saw your dad and friends in the stands and then when you were presented with your Olympic Gold Medal and were on the podium for the playing of the National Anthem? |
| MC | I was just happy. All I was worried about was that I remembered all of the words to the National Anthem when I was singing it up on the podium. At that moment I was just happy and enjoying the moment. That’s what I wanted to do – enjoy the moment and to take it all in knowing that what I worked for came about in this moment. This is what I wanted and I achieved it. I just wanted to enjoy it, feel the day and just live it out. |
|
| GCR: | There is usually a great bond between an athlete and coach. When I interviewed your dad, who coaches you, I could feel his admiration for you as a daughter and as an athlete and that people just don’t realize how hard you train and the sacrifices you make to be at your competitive level. How special is the bond between you and your father as it combines elements of athletic knowledge, father-daughter and friendship and are the two of you able to have much time where the focus is dad-daughter time versus coach-athlete time? |
| MC | I feel like it is so intertwined that he will always be my dad even when he is my coach. And he will always be my coach even when he is just my dad. It is just good that we don’t have to sit outside and its 180 degrees different. At the end of the day that’s my dad in whatever capacity or whatever roles he is playing at that moment. It is always good knowing that my dad always wanted what is best for me and always wanted me to be the best that I can be. He has always pushed me to do that. Since I know I always have someone always looking out for me and always wanting the best for me, it kind of gives me a chance to relax and to trust the process a little more. |
|
| GCR: | You’ve competed twice previously in the Olympics and at multiple World Championships. What did you do differently in training to be at peak physical and mental preparation so you were able to compete at your absolute best in Rio? |
| MC | This year nothing went according to plan. I ended up having a couple of injuries that really threw all of my plans off. What I had to do was to push my focus mentally because physically I could only do so much. And as a human we can only do so much physically. But I knew that if mentally I stayed positive and kept my mind focused on my end goal, did what I could and made the most of the opportunities I had now, that I was going to be okay. There are only so many days in a week and so many hours in a day and only so much that I can do. My goal was first to make the U.S. team and to go to the Olympics. I did my best there. It didn’t matter what happened between the Trials and Olympic Games. I had that mindset and not putting that extra pressure on myself and that extra stress definitely freed me up to do what I do day in and day out and to focus on the smaller and more detailed aspects of my training. |
|
| GCR: | Speaking of making the U.S. team, at the Olympic Trials this year you took the lead right from the start in round one, only to have Raven Saunders and Felisha Johnson throw further in round five to drop you to third position. As a preview of Rio, you came through to win on your final throw. Do you like the pressure of needing to come through on your last attempt and did this help you in Rio? |
| MC | I don’t like to and that’s not the goal, but I always believe the competitions are not over until they are over. I want to be able to give just as much effort on my first throw as my last throw, so I just make sure that I make the best choices and make the most of the opportunity I have on all six of my throws. |
|
| GCR: | At Indoor Worlds earlier this year you were ahead and then Anita Marten threw two centimeters further than you. You also came through on your final attempt to defeat her and Valerie Adams and win the World Indoor Championships Gold Medal. How did this also prepare you to challenge Adams and to know you could win Gold in Rio? |
| MC | It didn’t help too much because I knew that indoors and outdoors are two different seasons and a lot can happen between them. I knew that what I was doing in training was working and that I was on the right path. For me, indoor season kind of lets me know where I am at in my off-season training and if I’m on the path where I would like to be. It also lets me think about any changes I may want to make. Indoors is kind of a good reference point to evaluate my training so that I know what to add and what to take away and what to do more of. At that moment I thought, ‘Okay, Michelle, you are kind of on the right track. Stay where you’re at. Keep working on your technique. Keep getting stronger and we can put the pieces back together when we get to Rio.’ That’s kind of how I gauged my seasons. I never use indoors as an indicator of what will happen outdoors because there is too much time in between and anything can happen. |
|
| GCR: | An interesting nuance of track and field competition indoors in the field events is where many of the throwers, jumpers and vaulters really wanting to get the crowd involved. When I talked to your dad he said he didn’t really care if there was one person watching or ten thousand in the stands – he was going to do the same thing. But did you like the intimacy and crowd noise when throwing indoors or are you focused on yourself and what you are doing? |
| MC | I focus on my job, Even if there aren’t a lot of people in the stands I still have to go out there and perform. Sometimes the throwers throw early and there is nobody in the stands. I can’t depend on the crowds because they may not be there. But, at the end of the day, my ring is still my ring, my shot is still my shot and I still have to do my job. So, that’s the only thing I really focus on. |
|
| GCR: | In 2008 you made your first Olympic team and competed in Beijing. How exciting was it at the conclusion of competition and on the podium at the 2008 Olympic Trials when you realized you were an Olympian? |
| MC | It was great to be on my first team. I was thinking, ‘I’m here! I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to try to do, but I’m going to do my best.’ At that moment it was really overwhelming for me because I had never been in front of a crowd that big. There was all of this hoopla about the Olympics and I wasn’t ready for all of the attention. |
|
| GCR: | How different was it to be a member of the 2012 and 2016 United States Olympic teams, since you had been there before? |
| MC | In 2012 I was able to deal with all of that pressure a little better. I didn’t care what anybody thought about what I could do, what I might do or what I should do – that didn’t matter because I knew what I was capable of doing and I had my goals already set. I didn’t let any of that pressure or expectations from the outside bother me at all. I just said, ‘Come on Michelle – you know what you have to do so get out there and execute.’ By this year I had learned a lot, but in 2008 it was different as you can’t really prepare for your first Olympics. You really can’t because you don’t know what is going on and how you feel mentally or emotionally. I was a little bit all over the place, but I’ve learned how to control that over the years. |
|
| GCR: | The most important part of the Olympics is your own competition, but did you attend the Olympic Opening or Closing Ceremonies, go to other Olympic sporting competitions and experience the sights of Beijing, London and Rio? |
| MC | In 2008 I pretty much enjoyed what was going on in the Olympic Village. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I didn’t get to go to the Great Wall of China then. I did just come to enjoy my whole Olympic experience. In 2012 I was doing everything. I was going to all of the sights. We had a training camp in Birmingham and I went to a movie premiere and really enjoyed myself. I was always at the hospitality house in London. I had a great time, especially after I competed. In London I did the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. In Beijing I only did the Closing Ceremonies because I was competing too soon after the Opening Ceremonies and I didn’t want to be tired. I hadn’t been on a flight before for twelve hours and I didn’t know how my body was going to respond. So I wanted to be properly rested. This year in 2016 I didn’t do the Opening Ceremonies because I came to Rio pretty tired and I knew that I needed to get as much rest and recovery as possible. I had planned to do the Closing Ceremonies but after everything that happened and I won, my agent decided to send me home for two days to take care of some business before I went to Europe to compete for another two and a half weeks. So I missed Closing Ceremonies. |
|
| GCR: | Prior to this year you scored two World Championships Bronze Medals in 2012 indoors and 2015 outdoors. Were they satisfying, and did they just whet your appetite to move up to the top step on the podium? |
| MC | Of course they were great, because I knew I had the ability to make the podium. I had been so close and just missed the podium by a centimeter at a few meets. It hurts to know now that I had so much more to give. I was so close and didn’t make it, but there were more opportunities where I knew I had more to give. So I wanted to make sure that I gave all that I could so that I could reach the top and reach my full potential. |
|
| GCR: | Let’s talk about historical perspective. In the 68 years since the shot put was added to women's Olympic competition at the 1948 Olympic Games, the only American woman to win any medal was Earlene Brown who won the Bronze Medal in 1960. How does it feel to succeed at the highest level where no American woman has done so before? |
| MC | It’s a great thing that we are there now. I think there has been a stereotype that comes along with throwing the shot put that scared a lot of women away from the sport. It’s not viewed as something girly or sexy or feminine. It’s almost become like a manly sport. And over the years a lot of women have looked kind of masculine because of all of their muscles. The range of beauty has been feminine, soft, small and without a lot of muscles. This was the definition of beauty. I think that times have progressed and there is more of a realization that people come in all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes. Some people have more muscles than others and now more women are able to accept what they want to do, to go after it and to be okay with that. We had a down time, but now we have a lot of U.S. women in the rankings – maybe the most we’ve ever had. We have three or four women who could be possibly ranked in the top ten in the world this year. That’s awesome because now we’re letting the world know that we’re here and we can throw it. For a long time they counted us out, but now we are as good as the rest of the world. They didn’t expect us to make finals. But we proved that we could throw and that when we had a little time we would get it together. I think right now the U.S. women are in a good place to show women that we can be big and strong, feminine, girly, whatever we want to do and we are great at what we do. |
|
| GCR: | Young women and the general public often are growing more accepting that being a confident and pretty lady and an athlete who competes in weightlifting or the shot put or discus are not mutually exclusive endeavors. Can you relate how you are working with young women through your ‘You Throw Girl Sports Confidence Camp?’ |
| MC | I just want girls to embrace everything that they are and who they are. I have had people say to me that I can’t throw the shot put that far because I’m too pretty to throw it far. I have a story from back when I was in high school and we didn’t have the internet so people would only know your name from reading about you in the newspapers every week and looking up results. I met a guy at the movie theater and when I told him my name he kind of kept looking at me. He said, ‘are you that girl that throws the shot put?’ I said, ’yeah.’ He said, ‘Oh my God – you’re actually pretty. I didn’t think you’d be pretty. I thought you’d look like a man.’ I said, ‘No! I’m a girl. Why would I look like a man?’ That is how people were thinking about women who are strong and who are bigger than the average woman. But nowadays the average size woman is a size 12, 14 or 16. We’re beautiful. I’m all woman and there is nothing about me that says I’m not a woman. But I lift a lot of weights and I throw this heavy ball into some dirt and I throw it pretty far and I do it with lipstick and lashes. And I’m okay with that. It’s always been a part of who I was and I never wanted to separate the two. I want girls to know that you can look however you want to look. If you want to throw on a skirt and a dress, you can do that and it’s okay. It’s not going to take away from your ability to be great. For a while people were talking about me because I did care about myself and my appearance and how I presented myself in my competitions. I wasn’t winning, but over time my confidence grew in who I was and I felt good every time I stepped into that circle. I believe you should present yourself the best way possible because when you feel good about yourself and you look, you are going to do well. I believe that wholeheartedly. If I’m going to a job interview I’m going to make sure I look my best. It makes me feel good like I’m going to go out there and kill that interview. I’m getting dressed for it and I want to look good when I go to work and I do my job. So I carry that with me and I want other girls to know that you should be who you want to be, dress to feel good. Once you feel good and you have confidence and you believe in you, no one can stop you. |
|
| GCR: | At your ‘Shot Diva’ website at www.shotdiva.com, in addition to information about your youth camp, there is great apparel and shot diva makeup. Is there special joy in using your athletic talents in an expanded role for women? |
| MC | One thing I have noticed is that I have received a lot of messages from older women and younger girls who are throwing the shot put. Some of the messages tell me that they never thought that they could be both girly and throw the shot put. Some tell me they wished they had done that or they wish they had believed in themselves and had the kind of confidence I have to do what I do. That lets me know that people needed to see me be me so that they could be free to be themselves. Sometimes when you see someone who is number one, then you copy them. If a person is number one and doesn’t do certain things, then you copy them and that is the trend where people think that is what they have to do to be great. But who you are as a person and the things you can do to make you a great athlete shouldn’t take away your preference as to how you look. They are two different things, but they don’t define who you are and they can be put together with your skills, talents and abilities. |
|
| GCR: | In 2009 you appeared in ESPN’s ‘Body Issue.’ How much fun was it for you personally and also to be a positive role model for other women of all shapes and sizes? |
| MC | That was actually awesome and I was very honored to be a part of the very first one and the fact that they picked me and wanted to show the different body types from different sports. When people think of athletes they tend to think of smaller, leaner bodies with a certain look that people attach to athletes and what they look like. Actually, athletes look different according to their skill set or sport or position. In football a running back looks different from a lineman and from a quarterback and a fullback. Your body is built to do something and everybody’s body isn’t built to do the same thing. I was made bigger and stronger because I was made to throw the shot put. I found out what works best for me, what clothes work best for me, and I go out there and I do what I do best. This gave me an opportunity with them showing everybody that these athletes were killing it in their sport with all of these different body types. It challenged the definition of what a female or what an athlete looks like because all of our bodies were created to do something different. |
|
| GCR: | Let’s go back to your youth. Were you an active child and did you play or compete in many sports? |
| MC | Oh yeah I was active. Some of it was my choice and some of it was my parents telling me to go outside and play. My first sport was soccer and I was in third grade. I went from soccer to basketball and I didn’t pick up the shot until I was in seventh grade. I was playing basketball and the coach asked me to go out for track. I told him, ‘No,’ because running wasn’t my thing and he told me I could throw the shot put. So I went out there and I tried it and the rest is history. I remember coming home and telling my dad, ‘Hey dad, I’m going to try out for the track team,’ and he questioned me up and down. I grew up with my dad playing football and I wasn’t aware of the things he had accomplished in track and field. So if I wanted to do something he wanted it to be solely my decision. He didn’t want me to do it because he did it or other people thought I should do it because he did and I might be good at it too. He wanted it to be my decision because he knew of the expectations that would come with it. |
|
| GCR: | How did you decide to focus on the shot put and how much of a blessing was it that your father was so knowledgeable and accomplished in the sport? |
| MC | At the time I didn’t look at it that way because he was my dad and I expected my dad to help me with everything. So I was saying to him things like, ‘You’re my daddy, you say you know how to do this and you’re going to coach me, so let’s go.’ He told me he was going to be my coach and he was going to teach me how to do it right and I never questioned that or looked at it as being something that was not normal. He’s my dad and I expected him to help me no matter what. When I played basketball and had basketball coaches – when I came home he had suggestions for me to work on my shot or to do this or to do that. Having him help me was what I expected, nothing abnormal or weird or special until after college. |
|
| GCR: | Your prep and junior success included Four Texas State Championships, a Silver Medal at the 2001 World Youth Games and Gold Medals at the 2003 and 2004 USA Juniors, 2003 Pan Am Games and 2004 World Juniors. What stands out from your teenage performances either for great competition, exceeding you expectations or having family and friends at the meets to share the excitement? |
| MC | Making my first international team in 2001 when I went to Italy was exciting. I realized that I could really do this and get free clothes and go to another country. Sign me up for that! I wanted to get as many uniforms as possible and to see how many places I could go. I thought it was the best thing ever. Then, by the time I was in college, and I made my second international team I was coming off of a freshman year that wasn’t the best I could have had. It was a major adjustment and I had to learn some things. I made the World Junior team and I remember that I wanted to prove some things to myself and that I deserved to be there and that I was good enough to throw far. So I went to that meet and it was the first time I saw or competed with Valerie Adams. She was the biggest girl I had seen in my life and she was so tall. I was thinking, ‘Wow! I have to throw against her?’ But I figured that we were both there throwing because we were the best at what we did. I had a great time and thought that I could really get used to doing this. Those competitions really stick out as did my first Olympic Trials as that was a transition year from college to being a professional. I didn’t have a sponsorship and I was just there enjoying myself. I wanted to see if this was something I might want to continue to do. After I made my first team, and my mom was there, I knew that this was what I wanted to be doing for my career. I made that up in my mind after I made my first Olympic team. I thought that I would just ride it until the wheels fell off and see what happens. Every year from then on we built and kept building because I didn’t have a contract. |
|
| GCR: | How tough was it competing on a professional level without a contract at first and having to work a job to support your athletic endeavors? |
| MC | I started working at 24 hour fitness as a service manager at the front desk. Going to practice, then going to work and trying to compete and do all of these things - at that moment I was thinking that after the World Championships I had to have a contract to that I could make money and do this full time. So I had to throw far. I did. Then each year I set goals, set the standard, work hard and go after it. In the beginning years it helped to have the work ethic to build and know that I was getting better every year. I never look at a year and feel I’ve done everything right and I have nothing more to give. I still find things that I can improve on to make me better. Soon after the season it’s hard to go home and rest and not work on anything. I’m ready to start my off-season training because I know what I have to work on, it’s only going to make me better and I’m going to throw farther. So, I’m excited to get ready during the off-season to prepare for the next season so that I can be the best that I can be. |
|
| GCR: | Even though I was a distance runner on the track team, I would watch our field event guys in practice and at meets and they had to have strength, speed, agility, balance, stance and posture and overall coordination to put them in position in both the shot put and discus events to throw the implement their furthest and with consistency. Are you ever fully satisfied with reaching your overall potential or is there always something to work on? |
| MC | I think there is always something to work on. I believe every athlete looks at what they can work on and never feels like they have reached the point where they can’t improve somewhere. There is the point where your body probably can’t do it anymore. But in your mind you are thinking, ‘I could have done this or I could have done that.’ I’ve become a perfectionist because I want to do my best. The better my technique, then the easier it is for me to throw my best. I don’t think anyone can ever look at their performance or their technique and feel that it was perfect and everything was right. It is not. It’s never going to be perfect. Everything just works together to make it the best for you that day. |
|
| GCR: | When talking about technique, most of the top female shot putters use the glide technique, while most top men use the spin, or rotational, technique. From speaking with your father, I know he is a proponent of the glide. Have you experimented with the rotational technique and, if so, how did it compare to the glide? |
| MC | I stick with the glide. The glide is working for me and we get along just fine. I never thought about using the other technique. |
|
| GCR: | I’d like to go back and talk about a few items from your younger days. First, when you left high school, what were the primary factors that led to you attending the University of Texas and how smooth was the change in coaching? |
| MC | I only took a visit to two schools and they were Tennessee and Texas. After I visited Tennessee I was pretty much sold on Tennessee. But then Texas came along and asked me to check them out. I wasn’t too enthusiastic and my thoughts were just, ‘Okay, we’ll see.’ But when I saw them working out and talked to the coach about a couple of things I thought, ‘you know, I kind of like Texas.’ The girls didn’t look like other girls as they were in shape and I wanted to be in shape and to be the best athlete I could be. I felt that Texas was able to give that to me. The change of coaches wasn’t as big a deal because, even though I had a new coach, my dad lived close enough that he was still able to come down and work with me. That sold me on Texas when they were telling me that my dad was only two hours away and could come down to check on me and make sure we were going on the right track. Texas could give me the one thing that no one else could give me and that was my dad. He came down every two weeks and checked on me and worked with me. When I went home for Thanksgiving and Christmas I was able to go home earlier and for a longer time. My coaches knew that my daddy was going to work me harder than they would. It all worked out. |
|
| GCR: | While you competed for the University of Texas you won NCAA Championships. How difficult was it to succeed on a higher stage and what differences were there in your training during those years? |
| MC | I was the only thrower on the University of Texas track team, so the main difference is that I did a lot of running. I was I the best shape of my life because I did everything the runners did during the off-season. For the 40 yard dash, I was the fastest one on the team. I would get in the blocks with them and my start was very explosive. For me that was the biggest adjustment. As a thrower, to be a great athlete you have to be in that kind of shape and be able to run and jump and move your body as efficiently and quickly as possible. |
|
| GCR: | For high school athletes who are naturally talented, but raw as they are in the first years of the sport, what are the main areas upon which they need to focus to set the stage for continued improvement? |
| MC | I would tell them for sure to definitely get in shape and to work hard. As throwers we have this perception that we just have to be big and strong and that we don’t have to be fast. That’s not true. Throwers have to be able to move and have to be quick and have good technique. So I would say don’t limit yourself to being big and strong and slow. The better you can move, the easier it is for you to throw. All athletes should strive to reach their potential and to be the best they can be. I tell all kids I work with that they should be able to run a mile nonstop. You don’t have to be fast, but you should be able to run four laps without stopping. That’s just basic conditioning for athletes. Throwers have to be able to produce throw after throw and be just as good on the last throw as on the first throw. |
|
| GCR: | It’s interesting as you talk about strength as I was recently at a funeral and the Pastor talked about how the one word that summed up the woman who had passed away was strength. Then he read several bible passages dealing with strength. How does your physical strength combine with your mental strength and your spiritual strength and your emotional strength to be really strong in all that you do? |
| MC | For me it goes hand in hand. This year I have definitely worked on all of that. Spiritually I have to be connected with what the Lord wants me to do. One of my favorite verses is, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Just knowing that he has created me to do something, and I believe it was to throw the shot put, he has given me these gifts and talent. All I have to do is to do my part and he will take care of the rest. He has proved that to me this year because I was injured after indoor season with a herniated disc in my back which changed everything. It changed my whole plan as to what I wanted to do and what I was able to do. I had to totally depend on him to get me from point A to point B. Having that faith and that confidence in him allows me to do my job with ease. Not that it was easy, but I didn’t stress about it. I knew he had my back regardless. Mentally, just changing my whole mindset and not doubting myself or taking myself out of the equation before I got started helped. A lot of athletes do that. They think of what they haven’t done to prepare and tell themselves they won’t succeed and you just can’t talk to yourself like that. You definitely have to build yourself up and speak good things to yourself and about yourself. If you think about the positive it helps your confidence. Of course, strength-wise, lifting weights day in and day out, even when I am tired, takes some kind of mental tenacity to do it on days I don’t want to or days I don’t feel good or days when I just want to lay in bed and do nothing. Knowing that I have a goal in mind means that I have to set myself up to be the best I can be. It means I have to do those workouts even when I don’t want to. It means sucking it up sometimes when I want to feel sorry for myself and to decide not to feel sorry for myself. All those go hand in hand as you grow as a person as you have to grow all around. If you only grow in one area you will be stuck compared to if you grow in all areas. And spirituality helps everything. |
|
| GCR: | What excites you and what goals do you have for your athletic competition, family life, coaching and helping others in the upcoming years, especially since tomorrow is your birthday and you evaluate the past year and look forward to the next year? |
| MC | Right now I am in the process of buying my first house and am really excited about that. That has always been a goal of mine and finally I am able to accomplish that. My camp helps others be the best they can be and I like helping others to be successful. I always want to help people to be the best person and best version of themselves they can. With my camp and more speaking engagements, which I really enjoy, I want to continue helping others. My other goal is to keep moving forward and to keep being the best I can be. I have a number in mind, a distance that I really want to reach. I keep it to myself because it is one of my goals. I know I have a lot more to give to the sport and I’m looking forward to working hard and seeing if I can accomplish that. |
|
| GCR: | When you speak to youth and speak to groups, what do you tell them about the major lessons you have learned during your life – whether it’s athletically, academically, the discipline of athletics, balancing the many components of life and any adversity you have faced that is summed up as the ‘Michelle Carter Philosophy’ that you want them to take away with them? |
| MC | Have faith and have patience. Some people think this was my first Olympics, but this was my third Olympics. It’s hard to make one team, let alone three. But I’ve been persistent. I’ve been dedicated. I have had that faith that one day I could reach my goal. I just couldn’t give up on myself. So, you have faith, work hard and never give up. There is a picture that I’ve seen on the internet about a guy who is digging and trying to find a diamond and he is one hit away from reaching the diamond when he gives up. I always look at being only one lift away or one practice away or one throw away from being the best that I can be. I’m that much closer. Every day keep working because you never know when the floodgates are going to open and when you are going to get your prize. Never give up because you are going to get there. It may take longer than you expect. If it was up to me, of course I would have won my first Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 and done all of these great things. But it wasn’t my time yet. I had to learn. I had to grow. I had to be patient. I had to enjoy the process and learn from the process to get to this point where I am today. I like others to know that success doesn’t happen overnight. There are lots of years, lots of work and lots of blood, sweat and tears to get to the point of enjoying success. There were a lot of nights where those of us who are now successful were alone and crying and had no one to talk to, but we kept at it and kept working to get where we are today. You never know when that day will arrive, so keep working until it does. |
|
| | Inside Stuff |
| Hobbies/Interests | Makeup and fashion. I love shopping which is one of my favorite hobbies |
| Nicknames | The one that is growing the most lately is, of course, ‘Shot Diva.’ My childhood nickname was ‘Binky’ |
| Favorite movies | The original ‘Parent Trap’ |
| Favorite TV shows | Right now anything with Shonda Rhimes. I enjoy all of her shows |
| Favorite music | I’m a Gospel and Rhythm and Blues type of girl. I like to sing along with my music |
| Favorite books | I tend to read autobiographies, self-help books or some type of spiritual help book. If I’m going to read, I want to learn something |
| First car | A Toyota Corolla |
| Current car | A Ford Edge |
| First Job | Summer camp leader |
| Family | My dad and mom are Michael and Sandra. My sister is Deandra and my brother is Michael, Jr. At the end of the day, I know that my family has my back and that they are my number one supporters in everything I do |
| Pets | We have always had dogs. I don’t have a dog myself, but our indoor dog, Ryder, thinks he’s my dad’s dog and my dog and so he splits his time between us |
| Favorite breakfast | I make an egg, sausage and cheese scramble. I just throw everything in the pan together and cook it all up and that’s what I eat for breakfast |
| Favorite meal | I’m partial to Tex-Mex. I love that food |
| Favorite beverages | Sweet tea. I’m a southern girl and love my sweet tea |
| First athletic memory | Playing soccer. I remember being out there and playing goalie and getting hit in the face with the ball and breaking my glasses |
| Athletic heroes | Of course, my dad. Also, Jackie Joyner-Kersee |
| Life-changing athletic moment | Even though I didn’t win and it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it too, I learned a really big lesson that changed my mindset from that point on in 2013 when the World Championships were in Russia and I was in fourth place by one centimeter. I threw the same distance four times. My feelings were so hurt at that competition, but I realized at that moment, and I made a decision, to give my sport more. I had a lot going on as I’m a social butterfly and I like to enjoy my friends and to hang out, but at that moment I knew that I had to make better decisions because if I had just thrown one more centimeter I would have tied Gong who was in third place and would have beat her on the tiebreaker of next best throw since it was only one centimeter behind. I would have been third, but I couldn’t find a centimeter anywhere. From that moment on I said, ‘Michelle, you have to figure out what to do the next time you’re in that situation.’ Could I have given more? What could I have done at that moment? That was one of my biggest disappointments and also one of my greatest memories that put me further in a different direction and a better direction so I could focus on giving 100% |
| Greatest athletic moment | Nothing can top the Olympic Gold Medal. I waited almost twenty years and all it took was one throw. It was my last throw at the Olympics, so that would have to be by far my greatest moment |
| Worst athletic moment | My senior year in college in 2007. That was my most disappointing season. Indoors I won and everything was going great. But outdoors I didn’t do all of my workouts like I was supposed to. I was just trying to graduate because I could not see myself going for another fifth year of college. I wanted to get out. My workouts suffered and my season suffered. The year I was supposed to win it all I was fifth outdoors at NCAAs and then at the U.S. Championships I was fourth. I just wanted to call it a season and quit. I was done and didn’t want to do any more |
| Funny memories | As a child I was a very busy child. There were times at day care or at school where they couldn’t find me because I was always doing something. One day they called my mom on the phone and told her they couldn’t find me and so she said she would be there in a minute. She came to the school and she called my name and I answered. I was in the kitchen on top of the counter making myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich |
| Funny Memory about dad | We did an interview with a local news station and they noticed that sometimes my dad will sit on top of this hill to get a wider perspective and to see different things from different angles. So he picked up the name, ‘The man on top of the hill.’ So, people would mess with him from time to time about that |
| Favorite places to travel | France is one of my favorites. Even though I can’t speak French yet, I enjoy going there |
|
|
|
|
|
|