OLYMPICS
Qualifying for the Olympic Games is considered to be one of the greatest athletic achievements in sports. For former Texas State Bobcats Anicka Newell, it is a walk in the park.
Newell qualified for her third straight Olympic Games, making the Canadian National Team where she will participate in the Pole Vault.
Though it will be her third Olympics, Newell is still very excited about going to Paris.
“It’s very surreal for me,” Newell said. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of the sport. To not only go but it being my third Olympic Games, I’m super excited.”
Being in the sport and competition for as long as Newell has been, her competitive fire and love for pole vault has been a driving force in the former Bobcat competing at the games to go to the Olympics once again.
“I have kept going for so long because of the passion I have for this sport,” Newell said. “I truly love what I do, and I can not imagine another lifestyle. I have so much left in the tank that I’m not ready to give it up.”
Graduating from Highland High School in New Mexico, where she won a gold medal three times at the state track meet, Newell attended Texas State from 2012 through 2015.
On choosing Texas State, Newell mentioned the strong connection she made with her pole vaulting coach, who still coaches her.
“I love Texas State, and I had the best experience there,” Newell said. “I love the track team and the coaches. I grew up in New Mexico, and I ended up going [to Texas State] because of the pole vaulting coach Brooklyn Dixon. I had met her in a camp during high school, so she was one of the main reasons I attended Texas State. She was my coach throughout college and has been my coach ever since. We have been together a long time, so it’s awesome to be going through all these experiences together.”
Newell competed at all four conference meets during her time in the Southland Conference Championships, the Western Athletic Conference Championships and the Sun Belt Conference Championships.
Newell took the silver medal in the pole vault her sophomore year before winning back-toback gold medals. Newell also holds the school record in the pole vault with a jump of 14 feet and five inches.
Despite graduating from New Mexico in high school and Texas State in college, Newell holds dual citizenship in both the US and Canada. It was also there that she made the decision to be a part of the Canadian National Team.
“They are a little polar opposites,” Newell said jokingly. “My mom’s whole side is Canadian, so I’ve had dual citizenship since I was born. I have a huge Canadian family, so my first year going professional it was about making a choice wanting to compete for Canada or the United States. Ultimately, I knew I was going to get more opportunities if I represented Canada.”
But it hasn’t always been easy for Newell and the life after college is not always the easiest for a track athlete, especially when training for the Olympics.
“Track and field is not the most lucrative sport,” Newell said. “It’s been a struggle for sure. It’s very independent, so you don’t find a team somewhere. I have had to fight for facility access in places and train in different gyms. It’s been a yearly struggle to be honest with you. I train alone besides certain practices where a couple of people join me, which is really great. It’s tough when you don’t have anybody there. You have to hold yourself accountable. I’m the one that has to wake up in the morning and get my ass to track at 8 a.m. There is no coach there. It’s just me wanting to be there at that time. I’m the only one to make myself do it.”
With the majority of her training being solo, Newell’s strong self motivation has pushed her where other athletes might fail.
“So two days out of the week, I have my pole vaulting practice where I have my coach at,” Newell said. “The rest of the days and practices are completely solo. So, yeah, there are some days where I feel so groggy and tired in the morning. I don’t want to get up, and I have less motivation. Ultimately, I know what my goals are, and what I want to accomplish. I’m naturally self driven. It is a one foot in front of the other type thing. I’m getting out of the door and doing the damn thing.”
Competing at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Newell needed to place first to secure her spot in the Olympics. Unfortunately, she placed in second leading to a stressful period where she had to wait to learn if she would make it to Paris.
“I had a pretty awful Olympic Trials to be completely honest,” Newell said. “It was a stressful few days before I got the email that I made the Olympic team. It was definitely a stressful process having to do with world ranking points, the previous competitions I had during the year and some of the marks I hit.”
Though her coaches fully believed Newell was going to make the national team based on her season, the former Bobcat still needed to see the news for herself.
“I was sick to my stomach,” Newell said. “Stress isn’t even a word that I can use to describe what I was feeling. I was holding my breath, couldn’t eat very well, and I could not sleep. I was on the struggle bus for sure. My coaches had faith and knew I had a strong year but until they told me I was on the team, I was choking. When I found out I made the team, I just fell apart and cried so hard.”
This year, competing at the Olympic Games will be a special one for Newell.
The last time Newell was in the Olympics, the world was still going through the effects of the on-going COVID-19 Pandemic, meaning the games were performed in front of no spectators.
With her loved ones being able to see her compete in person, Newell is ready to finally perform in front of the largest crowd on the biggest stage in the world.
“I’m so excited,” Newell said. “I’m going to have my family, friends and coaches there. That, to me, means everything. That is my support and the people who I lean on. I need them there, and they weren’t there in Tokyo. Not that I need an audience there or people watching me to inspire me, but there is that extra boost of adrenaline when you have that many people in the stands that are cheering for you. You feel you can achieve feats that are not humanly possible.”
But Newell is just satisfied with just being there. Having made the finals in the last Olympics, Newell is gunning for the medal stand and a potential gold medal.
“That would be a dream come true for me,” Newell said. “You better believe that I’m not there to be a part of the moment. I’m going there to freaking compete. I’m going for a medal for sure. I want to be there on the podium holding a Canadian flag. It’s going to take something pretty special, but I believe that 1000% that I have it in me to do that.”
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
Anicka Newell is the only Bobcat women athlete to clear 14 ft in the pole vault. Submitted photo by Texas State Athletics
