Text 
Hill javelin thrower's arm a 'cannon' / Airman named 2008 Air Force Female Athlete of the Year
By MITCH SHAWHILL AIR FORCE BASE -- Second Lt. Dana Pounds has a cannon, but she doesn't use it on the battlefield.
The 24-year-old Kentucky native is only 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds, but her "cannon" of an arm allows her to throw a javelin about two-thirds the length of a football field, a talent she never knew she had until 2003.
The Hill Air Force Base airman and world-class javelin thrower was recently named the 2008 Air Force Female Athlete of the Year.
"I didn't even know what a javelin was until my freshman year in college," she said. "But after about three or four meets, I started getting comfortable."
Pounds lettered in shotput and discus in high school, but was initially recruited to play basketball when she went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
After one season with the basketball team, she traded her high tops for track spikes.
After seeing her throw a softball 213 feet, Air Force track and field coach Scott Irving asked her to join his team.
"I think I really found my niche, and it helped me realize that everybody has a niche in life," Pounds said.
"You might not know what it is right off the bat, but I think everyone can find something they are good at and something they love."
Pounds was a three-time All-American at the academy and wrapped up her sports career there by winning her second-consecutive NCAA title in the javelin in 2006.
She also claimed her third-consecutive Mountain West Conference title in 2006 with a championship meet record throw of 195 feet 8 inches. The throw was the best in the nation during that season and matched the best toss ever by an American-born collegian.
After her collegiate career, Pounds won the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships, upsetting American record-holder Kim Kreiner.
Pounds also was the 2008 Olympic Trials runner-up, missing the Beijing Games after she defaulted by about 2 inches.
"It was tough being that close to your dream and not seeing it happen," Pounds said. "I still think about it a lot."
Pounds plans on making another attempt at the 2012 Olympics.
During the past two years, while training for the Olympics, Pounds was part of the Air Force's World Class Athlete Program, which basically allows an active-duty member to be a full-time athlete and help with recruitment and morale by serving in the public eye.
"It's a great program," Pounds said. "No way would I have been able to do the things I've done without it."
Pounds had no military experience before enrolling at the Air Force Academy, but said her athletic background helped her acclimate to the military lifestyle.
"The mentality is definitely the same," she said. "Work hard, give your best, and leaving nothing behind."
The Air Force hands out the Athlete of the Year award annually to the best male and female athletes in the service.
Add Your Comment
one heck of an athlete a tiny dynamo with a positive attitude, like my buddy Mike Said post up better on the block your droping your shoulder causing that throw to the right , 64 meters easily i say 65 even
Please read our posting guidelines before reporting a comment.