By Kinohi Manning
Hard work is something BYU track thrower Cathy Fuailemaa puts in to every meet.
That and a little Ibuprofen.
A former All-American at Ricks College, Fuailemaa is working through this season despite knee and shoulder injuries.
'I''m just toughing it out,' Fuailemaa said with a big smile.
Toughing it out, Fuailemaa spends four hours a day at track practice, then heads to a local gym for a few more hours of lifting.
Her injured left shoulder, is painful and interferes with weightlifting, but fortunately does not affect her right throwing shoulder, assistant coach Richard Legas said.
'She makes up for it with natural ability,' he said.
At last week''s Mountain States Games, Fuailemaa managed to throw an astonishing 61 feet during warm-ups.
If that warm-up throw is any indication, Legas said a break-through performance from Fuailemaa could be expected any time.
This kind of potential is what delivered Fuailemaa an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark in the 20-pound weight throw during her first meet of the season.
Currently, she is ranked among the top 20 weight throwers in the nation, Legas said.
Her national ranking may have been in volleyball if she had accepted a volleyball scholarship to Vanderbilt or Iowa.
Instead Fuailemaa accepted a track scholarship at Ricks because it is a smaller school.
At Ricks, Fuailemaa dominated, taking a place on the junior college All-American team.
'She''d go about what she needed to get done and do it on a daily basis,' said her former Rick''s coach Doug Stutz. 'She was one of our stronger athletes.'
Her dedication to training is in part due to her long-term goal of making it to the 2004 Olympics.
She may also get a little help from her new teammates.
'Ricks is like high school,' Fuailemaa said. 'It''s harder here. It makes me want to push hard because everyone is so good, and you have teammates that give you good feedback.'
Between practice, meets and catching up on homework, Fuailemaa said her commitment to track has ruined her social life.
A native Utahan, Fuailemaa has never been skiing or snowboarding because she is always 'in season.'
'I don''t talk to anyone, and I never go dancing anymore,' she said.
If Fuailemaa can endure her current difficulties, BYU may see her compete in the 2004 Olympic trials.