Andrew Rock's Journal I- Breaking Through

Twenty-two-year-old 400 sprinter Andrew Rock was one of the revelations of the ’04 season. Rock had drawn notice in ’03 when he raced 45.29 to win the NCAA Div. III title following a 20.84 clocking for 200 earlier in the year.

It was clear Rock had wheels--and became clearer still when he improved to 45.23 at the Mt. SAC Relays last spring--but would a Div. III athlete be able to find enough competition after his collegiate Nationals in late May to break through to the next level? With a 44.66 in early June, Rock answered an emphatic yes.

At the Olympic Trials in July, his 44.95 (44.97 heat) garnered 6th, and Rock was selected for the Olympic relay pool. He went on to run in the heats for the victorious U.S. 4x4 squad. Read on to hear Rock tell it in his own words. And don't forget his name for the future.

2004 Season Review
Background Information The past 12 months have been pretty much a blur to me. As many of you may or may not know, I ran for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the past four years. This is a Division III school, so it was a very small institution. I have loved every minute I have been here though and the school, coaches and my teammates have been more than I could ever expect from anyone.

I started training in early October 2003 and my season finally ended at the end of August 2004. It was a very long year but filled with memories that I will never forget.

Summer 2004
I finished my college eligibility at the end of May 2004. Our team won its eighth national championship (indoor and outdoor) in a row. It was a great accomplishment for all the team involved. After my eligibility was up I kept training and continued to focus on the Olympic Trials.

Olympic Trials
The Trials were the most stressful meet that I have ever taken part in. There is so much riding on just one meet. Being from a Division III school, the pressure of the trials, and wanting to make the Olympic team all added up. I ended up finishing 6th and made the Olympic 4x400 relay team, which was a major accomplishment in my life. Although I feel I didn't run the greatest race of my life in the finals, I did make the team so I decided not to feel disappointed but rather take the opportunity to represent the United States at the Games.

Pre-Olympic Games
After I arrived home from the Trials I really had a week to get things together before I left again for more meets. I first ran in a meet near Montreal in a 4x400 relay. We ended up running pretty well (3:02) and I ended up splitting somewhere around a 44.6. Next it was off to Munich, Germany, where we ran another 4x400 relay. The team I competed for ran 3:00 and we won the meet (split 44.9 leadoff). It was pretty amazing to run in the Olympic Stadium that hosted the 1972 Olympics. Next it was finally on to Athens.

Olympic Games
We finally arrived in Athens on August 10. We went and checked into the Athlete Village and then headed straight for the USA Track & Field training camp on the island of Crete. What an amazing experience that was. Our resort was right on the beach and it was an extremely relaxing atmosphere. I think the goal of USATF was to keep the athletes away from some of the excitement of the Games so that we could just focus on training. I think the strategy worked out brilliantly. I did have the opportunity to attend the Opening Ceremonies, which was definitely a highlight of the experience. It was so amazing walking in, hearing so many people cheering for the United States. I did not know how people would respond to us, but throughout the Games everyone was very receptive to us. I finally went to the Athlete Village a week before my race. I had the opportunity to go to the track most nights and watch some of the early events that were taking place. It was very hard, however, to sit back and wait my turn while the majority of the team was running. Finally on the night of August 27, it was our turn. The wait was well worth it. Walking out on the track was the most amazing experience of my track & field career. To see that many people cheering for you and knowing you are running for the greatest relay team in the world is such a rush. I can't even describe how proud I was at that moment to have made it here and have the USA on my chest. The race went very well and we got the team through to the final. I ran somewhere between 44.5 and 44.8 for a split. I was very satisfied with that and thought the key to running well was staying relaxed.

The following night we watched the 4 x 400 relay team win the gold medal. It was the greatest feeling in the world to be a part of this team. I have had a lot of great experiences in my track & field career and I would not trade any of them. They all have been very important to me. This was one that I will never forget. I have been very fortunate to have a ton of positive people surrounding me. My parents have been one of my biggest influences and they have traveled around the world to support me. It made the Olympics complete to have them in the stands watching. I am very blessed to have so many people influencing my life.

Thank you for reading,

Andrew Rock

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