Javelin thrower facing obstacles

Serene Ross broke the U.S. female javelin record last year by throwing 197 feet.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
PULASKI, Pa. -- Serene Ross likes to take things one step at a time.
But as an Olympic contender, she is now looking a little farther into the future for help reaching her dream of competing in the 2004 Olympics.
Ross, 25, of Pulaski Township is considered the top female javelin thrower in the country, but she needs corporate sponsors to help her make it to the Olympic trials.
"The training is not as big a problem as paying my bills," she said. "That's the bigger problem. I have bills from college and rent."
Ross graduated last year from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where she has remained as a volunteer assistant track coach.
Free training
She receives free training from Purdue's track and field coach, Rodney Zuderwyk, but there are other expenses she must cover such as massage therapy and chiropractic bills, as well as living and travel expenses.
Ross estimates it will take about $30,000 to get her to the Olympic trials and she is hoping for help from corporations and others.
"Right now, I'm just waiting and trying to make phone calls and connections with different companies. You just have to wait and see if they want you. Right now is the ample time because they are figuring out who they want in 2004," she said.
Ross also works in a restaurant in West Lafayette when not training to supplement her income.
Since javelin is not a well-known event in the United States -- only 18 states have high schools who compete in it -- there aren't the same opportunities for big corporate sponsorships for Olympic-bound athletes who throw the javelin as there are for higher-profile track and field events such as sprinting, she said.
But in Europe, where the javelin is a much more recognized event, javelin throwers are often able to train without worrying about working to support themselves, she said.
Despite its low-profile on the American scene, Ross recommends the sport to those interested.
Opportunity for throwers
"There is a lot of opportunity out there for scholarships. At Purdue, since I'm gone, there isn't another javelin thrower. Whoever could walk in next year and throw the javelin, Purdue would take," she said.
Ross also credits her javelin throwing with allowing her to travel the world. She has participated in competitions in China, Spain and across the United States.
It's not something Ross ever expected, only starting to throw the javelin in her sophomore year at Wilmington High School.
She participated in many track and field events in high school, but it was her ability as a standout softball player that got her into throwing the javelin.
J.R. McFarland, Wilmington track and field coach, saw the potential when he learned that she could throw the softball a long distance.
"I knew she had a lot of ability. She's a big strong girl, very explosive. She's always been a hard worker. She had the physique, the drive and speed," he said.
McFarland also coached Inge Jorgensen, another Wilmington graduate, now a senior at the University of Virginia, who is also considered an Olympic contender for the javelin.
Positive ways
McFarland said the two battled each other through high school in a very positive way, taking defeat from the other graciously, and both have worked hard at a chance to compete for the United States.
Ross broke the U.S. javelin distance record at the 2002 U.S. Track and Field Championships, throwing 197 feet. That throw has her ranked No. 1 in the country, but she concedes that another American woman did throw a longer distance last summer at a European competition.
But because that competition was not recognized in the United States, Ross is still considered the first-ranked javelin thrower in the country.
She said competition for the Olympics will be tough with the top five female javelin throwers, most likely including Jorgensen, competing for spots on the Olympic team.
To prepare she must continue to train and participate in several competitions in the United States and Europe before the Olympic trials.
Parents supportive
Her parents, Becky and Eugene Ross, say they are supporting her all the way, but realize the family can't pay for all of her expenses.
"She really wants to do it. We're struggling to pay part of the way, but we still need help. She has a good possibility of getting to the Olympics if everything works out," her mother said.
Ross said there have been some private donations made by friends to an account set up in her name in New Castle, and she's still hoping to find corporate sponsors to take her through the next 18 months until the Olympics.
cioffi@vindy.com