In Playing the Field, we profile women who are making an impact in the world of sports, either in competition or behind the scenes. For this installment, we spoke with University of Wisconsin-Madison thrower Kelsey Card.
University of Wisconsin-Madison redshirt junior Kelsey Card competed as an independent this past season after changing her technique in the shot put, going from a glide throw to a rotational throw. Clearly the change worked for her, as she set the Big Ten record in the shot put and discus at the USA Outdoor Championships in June and won both the shot put and discus at the 2014 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 Championships in August during this redshirt season.
Card, whose more immediate goals include winning an NCAA title in one or both of the throwing events, is on track to compete for a spot with the U.S. Track and Field team that will compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Her Badger throws coach Dave Astrauskas said those are attainable goals for Card.
“She finished fourth at the U.S. Championships so there were only three girls at the US Championships that beat her and for the Olympic team it takes the top three, so I would definitely say she would be in the mix provided no injuries and her training keeps going as it has,” said Astrauskas.
Card admits that Rio is something she’s thought about, but said that she can’t worry about something that far in the future.
“People ask me about the Olympics and I feel like it’s everybody’s dream to go, but I just try to take it one day at a time with training,” she said. “And yes, it is in the back of my mind, but I still have two years of college throwing left to do, so it’s hard to keep my mind from jumping all over the map with different goals. This past year, especially, I really just tried to focus on trying to achieve my personal goals and really trying to only worry about myself because I’m the only thing I can control. I can’t control situations or people, I can only focus on myself and trying to do what I do best.”
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Card describes herself as being from a very, very small farm town. As a child, she played volleyball, following in an older sister’s footsteps. The same path led her to track and field. When her sister started throwing discus because no one else was doing it and to even compete in the event would earn points, regardless of aptitude, Card’s father, who had previous experience coaching track and field, stepped in to help. And since her sister was already learning the sport, he decided Kelsey could stand to learn the life lessons he was doling out.
“So discus was kind of forced on me because my dad wanted to teach me the life lesson that if you work hard at something, you’re going to get better at it, regardless, if you put the time and effort into it,” Card said. “And so it started out that way and I got pretty good at it ... I jumped into [discus and shot put] in the middle of seventh grade and I ended up winning state in both that year.”
She won both events at state again in 8th grade and what started as her father’s life lesson soon became Card’s passion. But when did it switch from something she dreaded doing to something that would become so ingrained into who she is?
“I think, as any kid would say, whenever I started winning,” she said, “When I was winning at the bigger levels, it was fun—it’s a balance of being happy and content with how you’re doing, yet not being complacent in your training. I feel like I want to keep reaching the next and the next level. It’s kind of hard to manage them both.”
At the time, Card often found herself resenting her father’s pushing, but in retrospect, she knows she wouldn’t be talking about Olympic aspirations if it wasn’t for the support of both her parents.
“When I was younger, I hated how much my parents, especially my dad, pushed me,” she said. “But looking back, I don’t think I’d be anywhere near where I am without my parents pretty much devoting their lives to us kids … My parents saw that I had some natural ability and they did everything they could give me the tools to enhance that ... I wouldn’t have the work ethic without them instilling that in me. I feel like almost everybody hates to work hard, but I was taught to see what comes from working. And I feel like whenever you have the taste the winning and the results, you want to do it. It’s a circle.”
Being a thrower means Card is a big, strong athlete and has a body that doesn’t conform to traditional standards of beauty or femininity. As she picked up throwing during an adolescent age that’s difficult on its own, she found that her classmates weren’t always kind, but her supportive parents helped her face the bullying and come out stronger on the other side.
Now, Card is incredibly frank and honest about what she does, what she looks like and how her body is a tool that helps her achieve her goals. While most throwers stand around the six foot mark, Card is a few inches shy. She knows she won’t be hitting a growth spurt any time soon and seemed to shrug off that perceived disadvantage. Coach Astrauskas said that any handicap that might come with Card’s lack of stature she more than makes up for in other ways.
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“Obviously height and size always helps, but one thing that Kelsey has that some of the other, larger girls don’t have is Kelsey has a throttle and she is super, super explosive,” he said. “It’s not like she’s super short, but she’s on the shorter side, but she’s blessed with another gift, which is why she’s where she’s at. But she makes up for her size with the engine that she has and the explosive power that’s within her.”
For Card, as with everyone, there are moments of self-doubt and self-consciousness, but she tries to just keep them at bay.
“Whenever I’m in the moment of my sport, it doesn’t even cross my mind,” she said. “When I’m in the ring I just think ‘ok, I’m here to throw hard. It’s all about what you can do with what you’ve got.”
Card described herself as a little needy, always seeking motivation. She spoke of her teammates, coaches and teachers at Wisconsin in glowing terms and joked that no one is allowed to leave because she wouldn’t be able to handle their departure. She mentioned Astrauskas as one of the main reasons she chose Wisconsin and said she needs him to keep her on task.
But Astrauskas doesn’t see it that way.
“Bottom line, Kelsey’s a competitor and Kelsey does not like to lose,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s something stupid in training that we’re doing for that particular day or obviously at meets ... She’s just a competitor and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the best performance.”
