Mason Finley - USA Track and Field

My dad was a discus thrower out of Kansas. He started me about the time I was in fifth grade. I think that was pretty much on my path – we just did the father-son bonding time. I did start playing other sports like football, but this job in track and field, in general, was more suited to me because I was responsible for my success and I enjoyed that more than team sports. With track, it's all on the athlete.

College was pretty eye-opening. I went to the University of Kansas first for my first three years and then, due to family issues, I moved closer to home. I had known the coach at the University of Wyoming, and we got along great. The team aspect was phenomenal. As a smaller school, we were a little closer. It just felt a little more like home to me at that time.

Going to the Olympics was always the plan. I remember in 2004 my dad recorded the Olympics and we watched that so many times; that was about the sixth grade for me. At that time, I was like, “I really want to do this, this is what I really want to dedicate my whole athletic life to.”

Coming out of college I had suffered three herniated discs. I didn't know if I was going to be able to continue training, it was very painful. I met with dietitians and personal trainers while I was going to the training center – I had to lose weight and be more mobile. I started going further and realized it could be a reality. And then to get 11th in the Rio games... it was just amazing.

Being there in Rio was the craziest thing. It was the craziest thing that a track athlete can experience. Normally, at track meets there’s not a lot of fans. But there, it was like a huge stadium going with the team. A lot of us train on our own, but this reminded us of what it’s like on a team with the trainers and people that got your back. Just the whole experience is really phenomenal. Basically, it was my first international “big boy” competition. I went from watching all of my idols on YouTube then one day I was competing against, you know, (German throwing legend) Robert Harting.  So that was intimidating, but for me, I thought I did great. In the second round, I got within about two meters of my average throw that year. It was an amazing experience and, of course, I got to bring my mom and my sisters. 

I remember it was my senior year we went to the Nike Outdoor Nationals. I had the national record at that point in the discus. I was working with my dad and he was giving me a lot of pointers. I ended up winning by two inches. As far as being an athlete, I think that was when I was starting to figure out that it wasn't about strength or effort; it was more dynamic than that and more form-based.

I would say my biggest obstacles go hand in hand with the injuries. From the time I left high school to the time about mid-college, I had gained like 100 pounds, the freshman 100. That was really tough – the weight went right into my injuries. I was trying to get big and strong. And so that was a huge obstacle, but fortunately, it was also a learning experience. I got to learn about nutrition, and what it takes to be physically healthy. If you don't make mistakes, some lessons are harder to learn; I'm definitely a better person for it and for my obstacles.

The dream for me used to be to get a medal; now that I have one it’s like, “Okay, I want a shiner medal.” I really appreciate looking back on the goals I had and how I accomplished them. And as far as after my athletic career, I'm thinking about becoming a chiropractor or going back to school. Just dealing with spine injuries and athletic involvement, I think I can do a lot of good.

The advice I would give the younger generation…. I would tell my athletes that it's really important to keep this world fun and to find the love in it. When we start thinking of this as a job or “this is what holds my scholarship” and you're worried about points, I think a lot of that stuff gives me a lot of unnecessary stress. Really, with the athlete, I think it's your job to really just focus on yourself and how you handle adversity. It comes down to really liking balance and your whole life.