Adriane Blewitt

by Gene X Hwang

April 2005 - Adriane Blewitt is out to change the face of womens shotputting. When most people think of female shotputters, they probably think of very thick women with blocky physiques. When they see Blewitt, they'll see a sleek, toned, muscular machine. From her beginnings in the sport to now, the journey that she has gone through is inspiring to say the least. Best of all, her story is not yet finished, and has many more chapters still to be written.

In 2003, Blewitt was a thrower at Ashland University in Ohio, had won NCAA titles in several sports, and was the Division II Track and Field Athlete of the Year. The 2004 Olympics were in Greece and she had a good shot of making the team. Things looked promising until September.

"In the fall of 2003 I was experiencing difficulty in breathing not just in my workouts but all day long. Some nights I would have a hard time sleeping because it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest.

"I went to the student health clinic on campus and the doctor sent me to get a chest x-ray. After the radiologist read the results, they recommended a CAT-scan for further tests. Turns out that I had a mass covering 2/3 of my chest compressing my heart and lungs. I was immediately set up with a thoracic surgeon back home and when he read my scans and x-rays, he never said the words malignant or benign. It was always the c-word... cancer," said Blewitt.

"He explained that without a biopsy he couldn't be 100% sure but he was almost positive that it was Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Hodgkin's is pretty rare. It makes up less then 1% of ALL cancers. However, it is very treatable. So in the next three days I had fluid drained from around my heart, a biopsy in my chest, and a consultation with my new oncologist/hemotologist. It was a lot to take. So then I had to re-evaluate my situation. I just started my last semester of student teaching to graduate school and this was now the Olympic year. My plan to graduate and make the Olympic team in the shotput was shattered. I had to quit school and consider a year off from track and field."

Luckily, Blewitt's coach, Jud Logan was extremely supportive of his star thrower and as a former Olympian himself knew what kind of passion and drive it took to make it to the Games. He also understood what a crushing blow the cancer was for Adriane. Logan was by her side during her recovery in the hospital and even gave her one of his Olympic rings from the Sydney Games in 2000 to hold onto when he wasn't there.

"Skipping ahead, I had six months of chemo and the reality that I was gonna have a rough year. I took the first three months off completely and then in January of '04 I met world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin through coach Logan. Chemo really zaps any energy you have and nausea takes it toll too. Charles set me up with a functional weakness program and hooked me up with a lot of herbal supplements to aid in nausea and boost my energy levels to train. I decided I wasn't going to sit out a year. My last chemo was March 8, 2004 and my first competition was almost four weeks later. Call me crazy but I couldn't quit."

Of course the cancer was something that Blewitt overcame, and she even made a shirt that boldly stated "I Kicked Cancer's Ass" during her qualifying meets. It wasn't the first thing she had to overcome as her father died while she was in high school in a fire at their pizza place. Blewitt at that point could have gone to one of the bigger schools, being such a standout athlete, but stayed home to support her mom and instead chose to attend Ashland University where she met Logan. The two are still close and Blewitt still trains there although she has graduated and now Logan works with her as part of the Ashland Elite team.

At the 2005 Arnold Fitness Classic Weekend, Blewitt was roaming the expo checking things out. Her bright smile and impressive physique helped her stand out and that's when we caught up with her.

After beating her cancer, Blewitt had to focus on the weights to gain her strength back.

" Fast forward... most of my workouts consisted of core training and a lot of auxillary exercises. I wasn't ready or strong enough to push for Olympic lifts and a lot of power lifts so I depended on a lot of dumbbell work and eccentric tempos.

"I managed to finish 5th at the Olympic Trials at a pretty competitive distance but just to be there and finishing in the top eight was gold enough for me. Even though I had the choice to sit out the year and take it easy, I am so glad that I had the support and the insanity to go for it and push the envelope. I am very proud I am a competitor. It was one of the reasons why I beat cancer," she adds.

And she's not only stronger mentally but physically as well and that combination is required for any top athlete.

"Now I am much stronger and seeing Charles on a more regular basis. My workouts are more my speed with Olympic lifts and Power lifts. I missed those last year! I have a five-day split training schedule and right now I am finishing up a training cycle with decline bench and snatches with some back squats on the side! Of course there is more to it but I can't give away all of the secrets!"

From the sounds of it, Blewitt will only improve.

"As far as my physique, I think I am blessed with good genetics. Of course I try to stay away from crappy foods and carbs but my metabolism is good to me. I usually push for at least 3000 calories a day with at least 150 grams of protein. I do sprints and plyometrics but for my sport, endurance running hinders the fast twitch muscle I depend on."

And she's got plenty fast twitch from the looks of things... We weren't the only ones to take note of her as among the other media coverage she has received, Blewitt was featured as one of Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in January of 2003.

So Blewitt will continue to hit the weights and has many competitions lined up this year. If things go well, we would not be surprised to see her representing the stars and stripes in Beijing, China in 2008.

Adriane Blewitt's Stats

Age: 24 Height: 5'10'" Weight: 174 lbs. Education: Ashland University (Teaching degree K-12 in PE and Health) Grad. '04 Current profession: Professional athlete (women's shotput) Coach: Jud Logan (Ashland) and Charles Poliquin (Tempe, AZ) - Holds 7 NCAA Titles, 2003 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and 2003 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year

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