After countless hours of hard work and endless days of execution, Elkins senior Sydney Freeman is now headed to the UIL State track meet for both the shot put and discussion. Freeman qualified for the UIL State meet by throwing 142-10 in the discus and 44-10 in the shot put.
“It feels amazing to have this opportunity. I feel blessed,” said Freeman.
Unlike other track enthusiasts, Freeman had a delayed entry into the world of track and field. It wasn’t until the 8th grade, during her time at Fort Settlement Middle School in Missouri City, Texas, that she began participating.
Initially, Freeman focused solely on shot put, as she struggled to meet the requirements for discus. Shot put relied primarily on her strength, whereas discus demanded both strength and technical finesse.
“I only threw one meet in eighth grade and I saw I was kind of good at it. I won. So I thought to myself, maybe I’ll try this. Before this, I was into volleyball and I planned to play in high school, but COVID-19 hit and that’s when I switched my focus from volleyball to track and field,” said Freeman.
When Freeman began attending Elkins High School as a freshman, her desire to become great intensified. However, she lacked a throwing coach who had the tools to get her to compete at the highest level properly.
“One of the coaches at my mom’s school heard I was interested in throwing the shot put and discus and referred my mom to Coach Dwayne Deaver. That’s when we started going to him religiously,” said Freeman.
Sydney Freeman
IG: @sydneyy.freeman55
Twitter: @Sydneythrows
Events: Discus, Shot Put
Height & weight: 5-feet-7, 290 pounds
Throwers she studies: Michelle Carter (Olympian), Valarie Allman (Olympian)
Status: Committed to the University of Houston
Favorite artist: SZA
Favorite subject: Geometry
Shout-outs: God, parents, brothers, teammates, coaches
Freeman lived in the Sugarland area, but every weekend made the trip to Alief Taylor to work on her technique.
“She is the kind of kid that is going to work for everything she gets. She would come out and work with me by herself and work for hours upon hours in the heat,” said Deaver.
While competing at the area meet during her freshman season, Freeman suffered a wrist injury when she fell in the ring during her final discus throw. This unfortunate incident prevented her from participating in the subsequent shot put event. Although she managed to qualify for regionals in discus, she faced tough competition and her journey ended there.
In her sophomore season, Freeman returned with determination, qualifying for regionals in both shot put and discus. She secured fourth place in the shot put and advanced to the State meet in discus.
“That year I hurt my shoulder during the season, so I was only good in discus that year. Shot put, I only throw 35-feet,” said Freeman.
In her junior season, Freeman qualified for regionals in both events but missed the opportunity to advance to the state competition after placing third in the shot put, getting the wildcard but coming up short by one inch and placing fourth in discus.
“It just wasn’t working for me in the discus that day. I wasn’t on my game. The three girls I competed against threw their best that year and I came up short. It made me feel disappointed at the moment because I knew I could do better. But it made me realize I needed to come back next season and be better than before so I didn’t feel that same disappointment again,” said Freeman.
After listening to the kind words from her parents and meditating on Jeremiah 29:11, Freeman in her senior season is headed back to the UIL State meet with one goal in mind, compete as hard as she can and stand on the podium in the end.
“This feels like a surreal moment because I’ve worked hard for a long time,” said Freeman.
Next season Freeman will be attending the University of Houston on a track scholarship while studying Kinesiology.
“After attending the Junior Olympics with the Afterburners track club, I was able to see Oregon State University and what they had to offer. I was really into that school until I saw what the University of Houston had to offer,” said Freeman. “Aside from the great facilities, Houston felt like home, the atmosphere, the people, the coaches; it just felt like a perfect fit.”
Freeman thinks back to the advice given to her by her mom when looking to inspire the next generation of athletes.
“Trust in God that his will prevails and he has you in the palms of his hands,” said Freeman.
