Ad-Vance-ing to Success

Sarah Vance shines in senior season

Sarah Vance

BUFFALO, NY -Injuries are common to athletes. Ranging from minor bumps and bruises to debilitating injuries, athletes sacrifice their bodies for the sports they love and UB senior Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) is no exception.

A thrower for the women's track and field team, Vance has put her body, especially her back, through grueling workouts and stressful competitions throwing the 8.9-pound shot put and 20-pound weight. In order to be at her full potential in her last year as a Buffalo Bull, Vance opted to redshirt during last year's seasons, compete unattached at events and train as hard as she could.

Fortunately for Vance, her hard work has paid off this year, her most successful as of yet.

“My coach told me freshman year that I could be a master at the shot put or a jack of all trades. I asked him 'Can't I be a master of all?'” Vance said with a laugh. “That's been my motivation since then, to show him that I can be a master at each event that I do.”

“To be honest, shot put is my event. I was not going to initially throw the weight this year,” Vance continued. “My teammate was throwing one day and I cannot watch someone doing something and not want to do it. I just picked it up and threw it 50 feet without even thinking about it.”

At first, Vance started off slowly, throwing once a week to see if her back could handle the stress of hurling a 20-pound weight. While the training wasn't pain-free, Vance pushed through it and appeared to have mastered the weight throw rather quickly this season, throwing a personal best 58-2 (17.71m) for a second place finish in her first competition this year.

“I had no idea what was coming,” Vance said. “I threw it and just looked at it. I didn't even get excited. It was so just unexpected that I just looked at it, asking myself 'Did I really just do that?'”

The following week, Vance reigned supreme in both the shot put and the weight throw at the Cornell Upstate Challenge. She had a first-place finish in the weight throw with 58-1.25 (17.71m) and broke a Barton Hall and UB indoor shot put record with a toss of 50-8 (15.44m). The record was previously held by 2005 graduate Faith Thompson with a throw of 49-9 (15.16m).

“When I met Faith (Thompson), I jokingly told myself I was going to beat her one day. I had no clue it would actually happen,” Vance said. “She has honestly been my motivation. I talk to her all the time. She has been really helpful to me.”

Vance then went on to break her own school record less than a week later at the Penn State National Invitational with a throw of 52-8.75 (16.07m). This season, Vance has accumulated the top five throws in UB history. The Mid-American Conference has also recognized Vance's accomplishments, naming her the MAC Field Athlete of the Week for two consecutive weeks in January.

Mental preparation is just as important to Vance as strength training. Once she steps inside the circle before her throw, she breaks down each movement her body is about to go through.

“Usually everybody tells me to just think of one thing when I am in the circle. I like to go against that though,” Vance said. “When I am in the circle, I think of my spin as a progression, snapshots in my head where I can feel it. As I go, I slow it down in my head and I can feel if everything is right.”

Technique is key while Vance is performing her craft but she takes a different approach to the preparation for an event.

“I used to be really superstitious, have to be wearing the same things. Now, I do the opposite,” Vance said. “I tell myself that no one is going to tell me when I have a good day, how well I am going to throw.”

“If I am sitting at my drawer and looking for a pair of socks, if I think one pair seems lucky, I'll purposely pick another pair,” she continued. “I have had days where I have felt amazing and haven't done that well. Now I'm thinking why can't it be the other way? Why can't I feel like it's not going to be the best day and still do well?”

While Vance has done well on multiple occasions this season, her current provisional national qualifier is not sufficient for the Lockport native.

“Faith hit her provisional mark and was 19th on the list and they only took 18 for nationals. I don't want that to be me,” Vance said. “I want to be in Arkansas throwing with these girls that are amazing. I want the automatic qualifier.”

The automatic qualifier for women's indoor shot put at nationals is 55-4 (16.90m), 2.5 feet more than Vance's personal best. Vance ranks 12th in the country in shot put with her January 27 throw of 52-8 (16.07m). She currently holds the highest national ranking of any MAC shot putter, male or female.

“I don't like to know my rankings,” Vance said. “I went to New York City and I was getting into the circle and they had an announcer that was like 10 feet from the circle and he announced my name and ranking. It totally threw me off.”

Vance may be thinking about Arkansas in 2007 for the national meet but a mere mention of Bejing, the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics, brings a smile to her face and excitement in her voice.

“That's the ultimate goal in life,” Vance said. “I think the possibility for the Olympics depends on this year. If I leave college and I'm consistently throwing close, I'll train so hard until the time comes to earn a spot on the Olympic team.”

Suiting up in red, white, and blue in China is a possibility for Vance but first, in her eyes, she has things she would still like to accomplish while finishing her collegiate career in Buffalo Blue and White with force.

“I'm happy with where I am because it's better than I've done before, but I want so much more,” Vance said. “I just can't let 52-8 stick.”

Vance and the rest of the UB indoor track and field squad will head to Akron, OH this weekend for the Mid-American Conference Championships.

02/22/2007