The WSSU Women's Track and Field team will be competing in dual locations this weekend.  Runners will be at Winston-Salem's JDL Indoor Fast Track, while field events participants will be at the Armory Track in New York City.
 
Rams junior Asia Lampe is looking forward to the Big Apple visit.  She'll have a cheering section of family and friends who live in the area.  "My family definitely motivates me," she said.  "Every time they come to a track meet, I really want to perform."
 
They'll have the opportunity to watch Lampe practice her skill in the shot put circle.  She also throws the discus and javelin during the outdoor season.
 
Lampe credits her mom, Patricia, for encouraging her to consider the 'field' part of the sport.  "My mom did track and field when she was my age," she recalled.  "She really pushed me.  I liked basketball better.  I've been throwing since eighth grade, but I started taking it seriously in the tenth grade."
 
She decided early that running was not an option.  "I don't like running," she said, laughing.  It's a trait that runs in the family.  "My older sister did track until they told her to run a mile.  She quit."
 
Throwing the discus is her favorite.  "There's just something about throwing the discus and watching it flying through the air," she described.  "When I throw the discus, I just feel free."
 
Her least favorite event is the javelin.  "Javelin scares me," she confessed.  "I don't like throwing it.  Too many things can go wrong. I throw it for fun."
 
Throwing indoors was a new experience when Lampe arrived at WSSU which coincided with the COVID shutdown.  She's technically a sophomore athletically. KayMarie Jones was the head coach.  When Jones left assistant Antonio Wells was named interim before getting the permanent job. 
 
"Coach Jones was definitely stricter," said Lampe.  "She always had a punishment if you did something wrong.  Coach Wells gives you more chances. I love the way Coach Wells has created a bond.
 
"He didn't know a lot about coaching field events," she continued.  "I appreciate how much he's learned.  He's gone to seminars.  He watches videos.  He loves the throwers.  I'm learning.  He's learning.  We're learning."
 
Lampe said she only has one throwing teammate, Eriana Townes.  "It's easier because we get more reps in practice," she explained.  "I'll get 25 throws in discus because it's much lighter.  It's only 1kg (2.2 pounds) so my arm can take it.
 
"The shot put weighs 8.8 pounds.  When coach says 'Ok, that's enough for today' I'll keep throwing.  I always like to end with a good throw."
 
She's set goals for the shot put and discus for this season.  "In the shot put I need to break the 12-meter mark and get up there in the 13-meter mark.  I got to 40 meters in practice last year in the discus.  I was 37 (meters) something in a meet."
 
The Mass Communications major said there's one thing she doesn't like about throwing the shot.  "Throwing the shot put in cold weather has got to be a top 10 worst things," she said, laughing, "putting that freezing (iron) ball against your neck.  I've gotten a little bit smarter.  I bring into my dorm room to warm it up.  It's hard to throw when it's raining.  It's definitely slipped off my hands more than once."
 
Last year's CIAA Outdoor Championship left a bad taste in Lampe's mouth.  "I finished fifth in the shot put and scratched all three throws in the discus," she remembered.  "If I had gotten one point, we would have been champions.  It was raining and cold.  It was definitely a bad day to have a bad day.
 
"I've been working hard and trained hard all summer because Asia has something to prove."