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Knights' can count on Ollivier
By JAMAL THALJI © St. Petersburg Times, published March 22, 2001 NEW PORT RICHEY -- Dave Heywood doesn't worry about Emily Ollivier. And for that the River Ridge girls track coach is extremely grateful. When Heywood is at a major meet, he spends most of his time racing from event to event. He has to check up on his athletes, find out how they're doing and what they can be doing better. All the while he's trying to keep a rough tabulation of the points scored in his head. But Ollivier is the calm amid the chaos. Heywood doesn't worry about his top hurler. Ollivier is so solid, so reliable, so successful in the discus and shot put, he doesn't feel the need to check up on her at all, save to add her points to the team's total. "You hate to say it, and I don't take her for granted, but I always know she's going to do well," Heywood said. "Usually at meets I run around, hoping all the girls are where they're supposed to be. But at meets I don't worry about her. "I know she'll always be at one of the top spots." This season especially since the junior has improved her distances in the shot put to 34 feet, 6 inches and in the discus to 107-6. Both are decided improvements over last season when Ollivier won the Sunshine Athletic Conference shot put title, and finished third in the district in that event and the discus. "I love chucking it in the air," she said. "You've got to focus and picture it going far, and you've got to get everything right." This season, as with all athletes, the goal is the state meet. Ollivier's path is the toughest for any hurler in the county, however, because River Ridge competes in the state's toughest classification -- Class 4A. She considers the discus her best event, and her goal this season is to reach 120 feet. If she can accomplish that, the feat will be even more impressive considering Ollivier has struggled with a hyperextended rib cage this season. "It was hard throwing," she sad. "It just felt like all the muscles fell off. I was like, "Oh, I need to go to the chiropractor."' She did, and the prescription of stretching it, and knowing when to ice it and when to heat it has helped her get back in the field. "Once she's totally healthy a month from now, who knows?" Heywood wondered. "She could make it all the way to states." Assistant coach Erik Hermansen, Ollivier's position coach, said she combines the right blend of power and speed necessary to excel in the discus and shot put. "She's really quick in the circle, and her long arms help her out, also," he said. "Along with her balance and her agility, and just her technique, she's really mastered the technique of the discus while she's still working on the shot put." Heywood stressed how important Ollivier's speed is to her overall performance. "A lot of times people think being in the shot put and discus means being slow," he said. "Ever since we've had her, we've won all the shot put and discus relays because of her speed. She just blows by people because of her speed." Another factor in Ollivier's favor, Hermansen said, is her determination. That, and she isn't yet as good as she can one day be. "She's got a lot of potential," he said. "When she gets out there and works real hard she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to, and obviously she does work hard. I believe 120 is a possibility for her this year." Said Ollivier: "I think I can do it."
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