For Adams, Winning Isn’t Most Important : A Victory Doesn’t Mean Quite as Much When Irvine’s Oden Is Not Competing

Heidi Adams of Mission Viejo High School looked a bit forlorn after winning the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College Relays shotput last month with a throw of 44 feet, 4 inches.

While those around her were admiring her first-place medal and outstanding throw, Adams looked around in disgust.

“I thought Oden was going to be here,” she said.

Oden is Elaina Oden, Irvine High’s versatile athlete better known for her spikes and sets on the volleyball court than for her prowess as a shotputter.

But without Oden as competition, a victory just doesn’t seem as important to Adams. Oden’s presence in the shotput pit this season has haunted Adams.

For example:

Adams threw a state best of 46-9 against Oden and Irvine in a dual meet, only to have Oden go 46-11 3/4 a few weeks later at the South Coast League finals. Oden’s toss still is the best in the state this season.

At the Southern Section 4-A preliminaries two weeks ago, Adams set a meet record with a 43-11 toss. But that mark didn’t last long. Oden finished the day at 44-3.

At the 4-A final last Saturday, Adams threw a best of 43-6 3/4, but Oden became the section champion with a toss of 44-7 3/4.

Interestingly, Oden had been away from the pit for a week before the sectionals leading the Orange County Volleyball Club to a ninth-place finish at the United States Volleyball Assn. championships at New York.

“I was just hoping to make it to the next week,” Oden said. “I didn’t know what I was going to throw.”

Such results are the reason Oden once asked Adams, “I bring the best out of you, don’t I?”

Wednesday at the state preliminaries for the discus at Valencia High School, Adams set a personal best by 18 feet to place third at 148-0. Oden was less than a foot behind in fourth at 147-5.

They will resume their shotput rivalry--albeit a bit one-sided--Saturday at the Southern Section Masters meet at Mt. SAC.

Though Oden has defeated Adams in four of six meetings in the shot this season, the Irvine thrower isn’t sure if her rival is psyched out.

“I only know that I’m aware of where she is,” Oden said. “I expect us two to compete for the state title.

“We haven’t shared our techniques or anything like that. But what’s neat about the whole thing is that we congratulate each other after the meet, but we try to keep it on the field.”

Said Adams: “Going against Elaina has made me better. I don’t want to be second all the time. But I really don’t pay attention to her throws. I did at first, but I’ve gotten used to her.”

Actually, Herb DeGroot, a longtime throwers’ coach at Fullerton and Mission Viejo highs, has been Adams’ biggest influence. It was DeGroot who encouraged Adams when she started throwing as a sophomore, and it was DeGroot who Adams followed from Fullerton to Mission Viejo High in this, her senior year.

Frank Hicks, Fullerton track and field coach, discovered Adams after she defeated a male student in arm wrestling five times.

“I was like, ‘Shotput? What’s that?’ ” Adams said. “I didn’t have the slightest idea what it was.”

But Adams decided to give it a try, and in the process was introduced to a world of weights, whether throwing them or lifting them. The first time she tried the bench press, she lifted 100 pounds. Today, the 5-foot 11-inch, 190-pounder can press 215 pounds.

Strength and size are nothing new to Adams. When she was a year old, she stood 36 inches and weighed 33 pounds. The average 18-month old baby stands 31 inches and weighs 21 pounds. By the time Adams was 1 1/2, she was able to carry a wrought-iron chair around her parents’ house.

As a youngster, however, Adams was interested in more delicate activities such as gymnastics and ballet. She just couldn’t ignore her natural strength and size, and by junior high school gave up those endeavors.

But strength alone does not a shotputter make. Thus, Adams, 17, spends much of her free time watching films of Olympic shotputters to help her visualize how to correctly throw the weight.

“After you have the feeling of some good puts,” Adams said, “then you can feel what your body is doing wrong, like if you drop an elbow or aren’t using your right leg.”

But relying on one’s instincts aren’t always enough, and when DeGroot went to Mission Viejo, Adams said she felt lost during her junior season.

“Last year, I didn’t get any coaching and I was kind of upset because I didn’t increase,” she said. “I just decided if I was going to get anywhere I was going to have to be with Coach (DeGroot).”

Adams drove to Mission Viejo every day during the final weeks of the track and field season to seek DeGroot’s guidance. Then, the Adams family moved into the Mission Viejo school district so Heidi could complete her senior season under DeGroot.

And since she’s been at Mission Viejo, her personal best put has increased by seven feet.

She’ll need to continue at that rate next season when she competes against college throwers, who have personal bests upward 50 to 60 feet.

Said Kent Pagel, San Diego State throwing coach, “She’s going to improve and go real far in the future.”

Adams, who plans to study pre-medicine, said Wednesday she accepted a full scholarship to attend USC.

“When I started, I never dreamed I could go this far,” she said. “Now I want let it go. I’d like to win state.”

But second wouldn’t be bad, either. And it’s a place she may have to accept if Oden also is in the competition.

‘After you have the feeling of some good puts, then you can feel what your body is doing wrong, like if you drop an elbow or aren’t using your right leg.’

--Heidi Adams