by Malcolm Butler
Campbell Woodard has a flare for the dramatic.
The Cedar Creek eighth grader to be has done it all year, since first picking up a javelin back in the fall.
Time after time, according to both Campbell and his coach Tripp Marcus, he has saved his best throw for the most pressured-packed situations.
And Wednesday night at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, Campbell once again came through in the clutch.
After earning a spot among the final eight out of 60 competitors in the 13- and 14-year-old division, Campbell unleashed a throw of 153-feet-4-inches with his final attempt to finish sixth and earn All-American honors.
Pretty impressive for a young man who first picked up a javelin less than a year ago.
“I think it’s his fourth or fifth meet where his best throw was (the last one),” said Marcus. “And I think most of those have been PRs (personal records). This one wasn’t a PR, but it was his second best throw ever. He likes the competition. That’s one reason he is fun to coach.
“It’s not normal. Track (and field) is one of those things where you are on that runway by yourself. You don’t have a teammate there with you. For some people that makes them really uncomfortable. But some people feel a little more empowered by that and those are the ones you see do things in the sixth round like Campbell does. He just feels very comfortable in that role.”
Heading into the final throw, Campbell sat in eighth place out of the eight competitors with his best throw being 141-feet. However, he never flinched while bettering that mark by over 12 feet in his final heave, passing two other competitors.
“The competitiveness and the atmosphere there, and throwing at night was a big part of it,” said Campbell. “It helped my (competitive) mindset.”
Campbell’s road the College Station was an impressive one, but didn’t come without some challenges. After winning the Association Meet which included throwers from Louisiana and Mississippi, he then competed at the USATF Regional Meet against young men from a four-state area, including Tennessee and Alabama.
There he overcame Mother Nature, delays, and a little bit of “chaos” to finish second place despite each competitor only getting one throw. That performance vaulted him to the Junior Olympics in College Station — the biggest stage that Campbell has competed at in his young career.
On Wednesday, E.B. Cushing Stadium was filled to its capacity of 2,200 people, to the point they turned spectators away. However, the crowd and the stage didn’t seem to phase him.
“It was definitely different,” said Campbell. “It was a really good atmosphere. It was a nice track to throw on. Good competition. Good javelins for us to us. It was a good experience. I kind of zoned (all the people) out.”
The 60 competitors in the competition each had three attempts with the top eight moving on to the finals. Campbell recorded tosses of 141, 136 and 131-feet with the 141-feet qualifying him for the final heat and automatically earning him all-American honors.
“When i first started, I just figured it would be a thing I could do during the school year,” said Campbell. “Maybe I be good at it. I never thought it would end in me even making it to this type of competition. I thought it would just be a little something I would do on the side. It turned out to be kind of a full time thing.”
Campbell’s parents, Matt and Garson Woodard, had front row seats to watching their youngest sons journey this year.
“He and Trigger both had some natural tendencies with how their bodies allow them to throw (the javelin) so he had some initial success,” said Matt. “But once he started to succeed and the competition level rose, he really stepped up.
“Campbell met guys from Oregon, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Montana and all of these different places. When his flight began and it had most of the top throwers, Garson and I immediately had our stomachs knot up. This was a real high level of competition.
“We just wanted him to do his best and to rise to meet the competition. We wanted him to get into the top eight so he had a chance to throw against the best, and he did that. I think that is what we are most proud of … just seeing him compete. That’s what it is about.”
Hudson Henley out of Arizona won the event with a mark of 178-feet, 6-inches while Millen Dhiman was second at 171-feet, 3-inches. The rest of the final eight competitors were in the 140- and 150-feet range.
Campbell said he would give himself a little bit of a reprieve as he heads into the fall.
“I will keep throwing, just not as much,” said Campbell. “I am going to be really busy with football and baseball so I don’t know how much time I will have.”
