Greensboro – Usually, the state qualification process is fairly simple for Murphy sophomore Jordan Oliver.
Oliver is just one of two female wheelchair athletes who has competed in the 1A state championships the past two seasons, so if she hits the regional qualifying standards to compete at regionals, that means a trip to the state championship the following week. However, this year some technicalities almost got in the way.
At regionals, Oliver’s mom, Kristie, said they lost the scoresheets that had Jordan’s name on it along with her events. That got worked out, and she was able to compete in her usual three events – the wheelchair shot put and discus along with the 100-meter dash.
Unfortunately, the flubs didn’t stop there. When the scoresheets from regionals were turned into the timing company that ran the meet, Jordan was entered as an able-bodied athlete, with standards well under what it took to qualify for this year’s state meet. That put her at 17th in the three events, when the state meet only takes the top-four finishers from each of the four regional meets.
Kristie Oliver said Murphy coach Penny Johnson communicated with the timing company and the state to get it corrected. Initial entry lists for the meet were released May 16, though she didn’t know for sure that Jordan was competing until two days later.
“We went ahead and planned on practice Monday and Tuesday,” Kristi Oliver said. “But still, in the back of my head, it was like are we going to practice for nothing.”
The challenges, though, didn’t stop at the state meet. Temperatures rose above 90, which made it easily the hottest meet of the season.
When the state last ran 1A/4A as a combined meet in 2019, female wheelchair athletes would throw after the able-bodied female athletes. This year, they didn’t throw until after both boys and girls had thrown in the shot put and discus.
Throwing events started at 10 a.m., and Oliver still hadn’t thrown before her 100-meter wheelchair dash heat at 1:20 p.m. That usually her last event of the day.
But the challenges didn’t stop a productive day. Jordan still set a personal best in the shot put with a throw of 9 feet, 2.5 inches, and came close in the 100-meter dash. Even as storms clouds rolled over Truist Stadium, she still wanted her medals announced, despite having still having the discus remaining.
Most importantly, she was able to meet another wheelchair athlete. There were five other wheelchair athletes at the meet, and Jordan was able to meet and connect with Wake Forest sophomore Jillian Weicher, who was competing in 4A 100-meter and 200-meter wheelchair dashes.
“That means more than the medal,” Kristie Oliver said. “It really does.”