The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Going into his sophomore year at the University of Northern Colorado, Drew Loftin took on a new hobby called the hammer throw. He decided to spend his free time hurling a 16-pound, softball-sized, metal ball dangling from a 4-foot-long metal wire.

He liked it.

Loftin, the 6-foot-5 New York native, quickly found he could make the hammer defy the laws of gravity.

Loftin then transferred to CSU where his skills continued to elevate.

"CSU had a better track program and a better school program," said Loftin of his decision to transfer from UNC. "I also wanted to change my degree to pre-medicine so I transferred to CSU."

The adjustment from Division II at UNC to Division I showed Loftin that he still had a lot to learn.

"Physically he is one of the most talented guys I have ever coached," said CSU throwers coach Brian Bedard. "I thought he looked pretty good at UNC, but he didn't know what he was doing."

Under the wing of Bedard, Loftin started learning the ropes of the hammer. He redshirted his first year to gain some more experience and his progress started to show.

In 2003, he was the NCAA runner-up after throwing the hammer 3/4 the distance of a football field, or 232 feet, 10 inches to be exact.

After four years of becoming one of the top collegiate hammer throwers in the nation, he has set his sites on a new goal: the Olympics. Loftin qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on May 16, 2003, at a meet in Albuquerque, N.M., when he threw the hammer 233-0.

"I always wanted to do it, but I did not know if it was going to be possible financially," Loftin said. "But I have been saving up and it is working out."

He will now test his talent against the best in the nation on July 10 and 11 in Sacramento, Calif. There will be 24 throwers in the field and the top three will go on to the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece, as long as they meet the Olympic A-qualifying standards of 253-0. Loftin's career best is 237-0 to date.

"I think he has a good shot at placing in the top three at the trials, but it will be a challenge to hit the A-qualifier," Bedard said. "He has very good explosiveness, good speed, he is a really good competitor and he is one of the most physically gifted people I've watched."

Loftin, who graduated from CSU last year with a degree in sports medicine, now works at a kidney center in Longmont, but training always comes first.

"I train every day and schedule work around training," Loftin said.

This season Loftin has continued to travel around the nation to compete in meets, even though he is no longer a Ram. Loftin recently took the individual hammer throw title at the CSU-hosted Jack Christiansen Invitational April 24 and 25.

"I compete every weekend in a different tournament to help prepare for the trials," Loftin said.

Big summer plans

The possibility of making the U.S. Olympic Team is one of two events highlighting Loftin's summer schedule. The other is marriage. After being engaged for 13 months, Loftin is getting married June 19 in Florida.

According to Loftin, he will most likely spend the summer in Florida and focus on his training. As far as the future goes, Loftin is awaiting acceptance from various physical therapy schools around the nation.

"If his training goes well, he should do well, but he has a lot on his plate right now," Bedard said. "He is trying to get into grad school, he is moving and will have a new training environment and he is getting married. You throw those things into the equation and not having a coach and it is really going to test his focus and ability."

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