2008 Woodie Awards
TRACK AND FIELD: No Beijing? No problem.
Williams looks to future instead of dwelling on present
Ryan Wood
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Williams used last season as a competitive redshirt to train for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after posting a 100-meter-hurdle time of 13.18 seconds in the 2007 NCAA outdoor championships.
Her personal best would have seeded her in the low 20s at the trials, but chronic shin splints prevented her from running her best during the past couple months, she said.
Williams said she had a meeting with Cardinals' coach Randy Heisler in the middle of June to discuss her future. The two decided making a trip to the Olympic trials was not in the best interest of Williams' career.
"I am disappointed, but not at the same time," Williams said. "I've had injuries since I've been here at Ball State, and that's something you just have to deal with as an athlete. The best thing for me to do was to rest up and make sure my shins heal so I can get ready for next season when I can put my Ball State uniform back on."
Even though Williams had a solid qualification time for the trials, Heisler said the decision was a no-brainer. With no chance to make the team or run to the best of her ability, Williams would have forfeited her redshirt had she decided to compete at the Olympic trials.
Heisler said the risk of not having a chance to compete next season far outweighed the reward of being provided with a good experience.
"I talked to her, and I was like, 'Amber, you're not healthy right now, and you're run down,'" Heisler said. "'You can go out there and run one round, and it could be a good experience, but is that really worth it?' When you're talking about athletes who train four years for that one event, you don't go to the trials and have a bad day. I made the decision talking with Amber that I wasn't willing to give up next season's eligibility for one race."
During her time away from competition with the Cardinals, Williams witnessed younger teammate Katie Johnson win the 100-meter title at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Johnson's victory followed Williams' first-place showing in the 2006-07 meet.
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