Warren brings the hammer

“In Sandy, everyone knew each other and that was easy because Sandy was small. Coming here was different,” said Mt. Hood sophomore McKenzie Warren, who grew up in tiny Boring, located between Gresham and Sandy.

At Sandy High School, Warren was on the track and field team, where she threw the discus and shot put. Two years later, she’s added the hammer throw to her immense talents.

She continues to dominate her NWAACC track and field rivals, wearing the black and red at Mt. Hood Community College while she dreams of competing in the 2016 Olympics.

Warren is the reigning league champion in the hammer throw, and took second in the discus at the NWAACC championships held last May.

She built on a remarkable freshman year this spring, extending her Mt. Hood school record marks in both the discus and hammer as she racked up more first-place finishes.

As another championship meet kicks off Monday, Warren can reflect on her outdoor roots – and her personal growth.

“I love being in the woods,” she said. “I love camping. I love the outdoors,” expressing her  love for fishing and hunting. Living out in the country is just where she likes it, at her family home: “It’s not there in the city. It’s country. We have a big piece of property.”

Warren was swept by the outdoor life early on. The peace of the outdoors was something she took a liking to. Her father is a commercial fisherman, as was her grandfather. Those two would hunt together, a hobby that was passed down to her brothers, then to Warren herself. “It has always been in the family,” she said.

The rugged country lifestyle can encourage a do-it-yourself attitude. But Warren sees the big picture, too.

“This is a team sport,” she said. “But, when you are doing your event, you know what you need to do. You’re doing it for yourself but it’s also contributing to your team.”

Warren said she has learned plenty as a student and athlete at MHCC.

“I’ve learned to respect people a lot more. You’ve got to learn to respect (track teammates),” she said. “As a student, going outside my comfort zone, (to) actually pay attention, do my homework, go to class, because I definitely didn’t do that in high school.”

Warren has been inspired by others throughout her life, she said. One person who stands out the most is Doug Bowman, MHCC head track and field coach. She explained, “He’s been my coach since third grade. It’s going to be weird, honestly, next year, going to a new school and not having him there. He’s like my second dad.”

Warren is looking to transfer on to Concordia University, in northeast Portland, through an athletic scholarship where she will study business. From there, she plans to go on to another community college to get her paramedic license.

“I’m going to be a paramedic/firefighter,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do something in the medical field and I just kind of picked that.”

Warren makes it clear that she appreciates all of her support. Her best friend, Caitlyn Safley, is always by her side. Safley was on the track and field team at Sandy with her and now is a Saints teammate. They both graduated from Sandy High in 2012.

“We’ve literally been best friends forever,” said Warren, who noted their mothers were friends, as well. “It helps. I’m not very outgoing. I mean, I talk to people if they talk to me first. I’m kind of shy. We help each other meet new people, and I’ve met a lot of new people on the track team.”

Safley is the one Warren leans on as a friend. They made it through schooling together and are not done yet. These two look to move on to Concordia next year and live together.

For now, Warren is looking directly to the 2016 Olympics. Only a few meters separate Warren’s best marks from the Olympic qualifying standard in her several events.

Reaching the provisional mark for the Olympics would send her to Eugene in spring 2016, for the U.S. Olympic Trials. “(Bowman) can help me with that,  too,” explains Warren.

Long before that, Warren has to focus on the NWAACC championship meet, which will be held Monday and Tuesday at Spokane Falls Community College. She will compete in the shot put on Monday, and toss the hammer and discus on Tuesday.

“I’ve just got to practice my footwork,” she said, focused on keeping her technique sharp. “And (to) rest, not throw a whole lot.”