Blewitt is a real winner

It really all comes down to a matter of perspective.
NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi once wrote that second place was (and I'm paraphrasing here) the champion of losers. Back in the early '60s, the NFL had what it called the Playoff Bowl, a postseason game between the two conference runners-up. Lombardi described it thus: "A game for losers, played by losers."
Well, I think anyone who has been following the story of Boardman's Adriane Blewitt would almost certainly disagree with Coach Lombardi.
Adriane's story
Blewitt, competing in the shot put at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif., this week, finished in fifth place, a little more than 61/2 feet short of the Olympic qualifying mark and behind the woman who won.
Blewitt can still become part of the three-person U.S. team in the shot put, however, provided she can attain the qualifying mark -- 60 feet, 101/2 inches -- by Aug. 9.
On that level alone, Blewitt's story is a nice one -- a local athlete making her mark among the world's elite. But, considering what she has been through, the fact she is competing at that level makes it an even more compelling story.
Last September, Blewitt had reached 59 feet, 4 inches, and was considered one of the legitimate hopefuls to make the Olympic team.
Then she learned of a cancer -- Hodgkin's Lymphoma -- that had invaded her body. Blewitt embarked on a six-month journey of recovery, which included chemotherapy and radiation.
Naturally, Blewitt lost much of her strength and energy because of the chemotherapy, and only began training again in March, less than four months before the Olympic Trials.
Not yet 100 percent
The fact that she could compete, let alone vie for an Olympic berth, is an amazing achievement and a credit to Blewitt's physical training and mental makeup.
Before the Trials, Blewitt said she felt only around 80 percent as strong as she did last summer. If, in the next few weeks, she can regain that strength and maintain her technique, the Olympic qualifying mark could most certainly come within sight.
Stephanie Brown, who finished fourth in the Trials, declined her position Saturday because she already has qualified for the Athens Games in the discus. That decision moved Blewitt up to fourth in the qualifying roll.
She told The Vindicator on Saturday that she'll go to the Olympic Training Center in San Diego, Calif., to further her training. Two meets, scheduled for Aug. 4 and Aug. 8, will be her chances to reach the Olympic qualifying standard.
Her normal practice routine involves throwing a 10-pound shot -- the shots in competitions weigh 8.8 pounds, or 4 kilos -- but she occasionally uses smaller weighted shots to focus on her technique.
"I'm really happy with my training," said Blewitt Saturday, "and I'll practice two or three times a week in preparation for the two meets.
"I know I'll have to focus on those meets in my effort to achieve the standard, because I know I am not strong enough yet to compete in multiple meets in such a short time."
Goals met
Blewitt reached her goals this week in Sacramento.
"My goal was to qualify and then make it to the 12 [semifinalists]," she said, "and then when I did that I thought 'Let's just make it to the finals.' "
"And then the next day [Friday], I wanted to get in the top 5. That was realistic for me at the time."
Blewitt's entourage includes her coaches, Denise Gorski from Boardman High and Jud Logan of North Canton, who coached Blewitt at Ashland University.
"Just [Gorski] being here has meant so much to me, having her continued support has been overwhelming."
"[Logan] has helped me technically and emotionally and is the reason why I am here."
Probably, Blewitt would have preferred to not have made the emotional and physical trip these past 10 months. But, it's evident the obstacles she's overcome already are far greater than reaching for an extra 61/2 feet.
"After all I have gone through in the past year to finish fifth was pretty exciting," she said Saturday. "This year has been up in the air all of the time and to come out here and make it this far, now I know I have nothing to lose.
"I have already accomplished my goal of finishing in the top five and now I still have a chance to earn a spot for the Olympics. That would be icing on the cake."
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.