Anna Adamko started the Class 3A state track and field meet with a state championship in the discus. She followed up with a Friday title in the javelin — her second consecutive state title in that event. And on Saturday, she finished fourth in the shot put.
“I’m still a junior, so I hope to do it again next year,” she said.
That great individual performance was quite a boost to the team, as well, and the Columbia River Chieftains ended up tying for the state title. For her efforts, and the team’s championship, Anna Adamko is The Columbian’s All-Region girls track and field athlete of the year.
Most memorable moment from the season: “State was pretty cool. Discus, I thought it was something that could happen, but I wasn’t really expecting to win. Then I won. That was probably the coolest moment of the season.”
Advice to a younger athlete: “One of my teammates broke down one day because she was so nervous. The best advice I could give her, I just told her you really need to have patience with correcting whatever technique you have to. Don’t get frustrated with yourself if something doesn’t come to you right away. It takes time. Just try to have fun. It’s only a sport.”
Feelings on being selected the athlete of the year: “I was über-excited when I found out. Then I told all my friends about it.”
What is it like representing Columbia River? “I have great coaches. I feel like I’m being backed up and supported really well. I feel like they’re close relatives. I feel good about my school.”
What does the sport mean to you? “There were a couple of weeks when I thought, ‘I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t have track.’ But I’m refocused now. I definitely want to compete in college. Track does mean a lot to me, but it’s just something I do. Track used to be my identity. Now, track is something I do. It’s definitely a part of me, a part of me that won’t ever go away. But I have more qualities about me other than track.”
What is something about you that some people might be surprised to learn? “I like art, interior design. I’ve always had a good eye for where to put things, where they would look best.”
How did you get your start in your sport? “My parents (Joseph and Hana) are big sports fanatics, so I’ve always played sports. In elementary school, there was some (track event) going on for children to see how they could do at different events. I came up to a woman and she handed me a ‘turbo-javelin’ and told me to throw it. I threw it about 60 feet. The lady told me, ‘Do you know what you just did? You just broke the record for your age category.’ I was in the fourth grade.”
What is one thing many people do not understand about your sport? “The work you put into it. The technique, and trying to put it all together in one moment. There’s so much mental work as well as the physical work. The stress can get to you.”
Most embarrassing moment in your sport: “I hopped in bed and forgot about the portrait hanging on the wall above my bed. I shook the bed, and the wall, and the portrait fell on my head. (Adamko had to go the ER, and she was diagnosed with a minor concussion. She showed up for practice the next day but could not participate.) Everybody knows about it now. ‘Why aren’t you practicing? ‘A portrait fell on my head.’ ”
What is a goal, away from your sport, that you would like to accomplish in the next few years? “I definitely want to get through college successfully. I guess, first, I should say, graduate from high school. Get through college with a graphics design degree. Find someone nice. Make new friends. And leave Washington so i can escape to warmer weather.”
What is a goal, associated with your sport, that you would like to accomplish in the next few years? “For this coming (summer), I qualified for the junior nationals, and I hope to perform really good there.”
Hobbies: “Training is my hobby. I really don’t have time for anything else. But I do like family time. I like taking road trips with my family.”
What will you remember most about this season? The team’s state championship was special, including the celebration. “Dumping water on my coach’s head was fun.” That would be Michelle Buss.
Favorite teacher: Felix Calzada of the Clark County Skills Center. “I could trust him with anything.”
Most influential coaches: “That’s not a fair question. I have so many supportive people in my life.” Then she named several, including: Michelle Buss, the girls track coach at Columbia River; Ryan Paul of New Athlete; Darby Meade, her shot put and discus coach; Sean McDonald and Scott Haley, who help her with the javelin; her parents, Joseph and Hana; and Bruce Flanagan, a “main mentor since I was super young.”
