NBNI champ Anna Hall takes steep learning curve to Arcadia

By Brent New for DyeStat

DENVER – Valor Christian CO sophomore Anna Hall is looking to keep track of all of her identities.

Sprinter, hurdler, thrower, jumper – a multi-event athlete must change hats and shift from one mindset to another in a matter of moments.

Hall’s transitions covered the spectrum from frustrating to exhilarating en route to a national title March 11 in the pentathlon at New Balance Nationals Indoor in New York.

The 16-year-old dramatically altered the five-event trudge with a soaring performance in the high jump with a clearance 5 feet, 10.5 inches. She then secured the victory with a second-place run in the 800 meters in 2:20.98.

“The strangest thing is just the mentality of it all,” Hall said. “You have to compartmentalize things. You have to go into it thinking, ‘OK, I’m a hurdler’ and your thought process is everything you would think about in an open hurdles race.

“Then as soon as that’s over, whether you did great or bad, you have to leave it in the past. OK I’m a jumper. OK I'm a thrower.”

Hall’s next test comes in the heptathlon April 6-7 at the 50th Arcadia Invitational.

After already making a big splash on the national scene, including a seventh-place heptathlon finish with 4,517 points at last year’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor, her coaches remind her to just stay the course.

“Anna’s got the right mentality,” said Valor Christian coach Brian Kula, a decathlete in high school and college.

“The key in the training is just knowing it’s a developmental event. It’s not a flash-in-the pan one-year development. It is literally a career development. We’re really just looking for benchmarks along the way from start to – you know, I think Anna has the hopes of representing our country someday.”

So far, her progress is promising.

Hall’s middle distance and sprints are already worthy of attention on an individual scope – let alone in a multi-event escapade. 

Her high jump, meanwhile, is a head-turner. 

She won the event as a freshman at the Colorado 5A state meet with Arapahoe High School last year (5-5.50). Her leap of 5-10.50 at New Balance would have won a title in any classification in the state by more than three inches.

If she has a weakness, it’s in her throws – the shot put and javelin. Those are the events she most recently picked up.

“Because of the diversity of the kind of athlete a multi-eventer is, that’s why they call them the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’ in the Olympic Games,” Kula said. “From sprint, to run long distance, to jump, to throw, and all those things, we want to do them well. 

“We certainly try to do a great job with the events she’s good at. And with the events she’s not as good at, we still want her to be proficient.”

Hall labels javelin as the most taxing.

It was only about a year and a half ago when she picked up what she first thought was a "spear." Awkward, big and pointy, Hall was a little nervous for the safety for the people around her. 

But since then, she says, she has progressed.

“Learning the technique of it helped,” Hall said. “I’m getting more comfortable with it.”

While mastering all these skills, Hall’s coaches want her to focus heavily on perhaps the most important part of her training: rest.

She’s often reminded that the best multi-event athletes are bred through longevity, not talent and hard work alone.

“Sometimes the best training is resting,” Kula said. “Getting in and out of meets healthy is really, really important.”

Just add it to the list, coach.