Strong arm gives Bachmeier a shot at Nationals

Bethany Bachmeier, an eighth-grader at Sisters Christian Academy, recently returned from competing in the Hershey's Track and Field Games North American Finals in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Bachmeier, along with 15 other competitors from the state of Oregon, joined 425 other athletes from around the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico for the big event.

Bethany qualified for nationals in the softball throw.

Her road to nationals began with a first-place finish in Bend, which led to an appearance at the state competition in Eugene in July.

At state, Bachmeier earned a first-place finish with a toss of 154 feet.

Her first-place finish didn't secure a berth at nationals, but her distance beat every other competitor in the region, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Puerto Rico.

With the state win, Bachmeier earned an all-expenses-paid trip to nationals, which included a tour of the world-famous Hershey's chocolate factory and a day at the Hersheypark, the company's amusement park.

Top competitors were in attendance at nationals, and Bachmeier felt privileged to be one of the select few.

Pressure and a case of nerves got the better of Bachmeier and hindered her from throwing her usual distance. Bethany was one of the last competitors to throw and finished 10th with a distance of 126 feet. Bethany tripped on her first throw, threw the ball out of bounds on the second toss and then, she admits, she just lost it.

"I really felt the pressure," stated Bachmeier. "There were a lot of people, and the competition was really kind of freaky at first. After I got down on the field and met the other competitors it wasn't quite as bad."

Of her 10th-place finish Bethany said, "I felt really frustrated because I didn't do as well as I knew I could."

New Yorker Jordyn Stearns took first place with a throw of 158 feet 4 inches.

Surprisingly enough, Bachmeier told The Nugget, she'd never thrown a softball prior to this past spring when she decided to compete in the Sisters Middle School track meet for the first time. Bethany found out she was able to throw the ball quite a fair distance.

And to top it off, Bethany confessed she doesn't practice before an event.

"When I did practice right before nationals I didn't do well," said Bethany. "I practiced and I shouldn't have because it just made me more and more frustrated."

Bachmeier said the experience was filled with many highlights she will never forget.

"One great thing was getting to see family I haven't seen since I was 2 years old," said Bethany. "They came from around Pennsylvania and North Carolina to watch me throw and cheer for me. Another thing that was pretty cool was the big Hershey theme park we got to go to. And, we even got to meet Carl Lewis and Rafer Johnson." (Lewis is a nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Johnson is the 1960 Olympic Decathlon Champion.)

"It was very cool to meet two famous track athletes who were so good," added Bachmeier.

Bethany told The Nugget that she learned from the whole experience that a good attitude toward every competition is vital.

"When I competed in Bend and then at state in Eugene I had an 'I can do it' attitude, and I was confident," said Bachmeier. "But at nationals, that changed, and I was scared and nervous and I learned that how I think really affects how I throw and perform, and that I need to keep up an attitude of confidence."

Bethany plans to enter the event again next year with hopes of a second appearance at nationals.