Vicki Huber went from being the fast girl picked by boys to play in her neighborhood games friends to being a multi-sport high school athlete in a small Delaware town to being world class middle distance runner, who along the way won the Honda Cup in 1989. She credits her High School Coach Joe McNichols for helping with college recruitment as well as sound advice along the way. She did not have the rigorous and disciplined clubs that runners have today at all ages but trained solo, which came with its own challenges. 

After a challenging first year at Villanova she was not an immediate impact runner but close, even with her self described “wimpiness and crying”. The next summer she talked herself into returning strong, focused and mentally prepared.  Numerous national championships followed as did her qualifying for the Olympics her junior year. Vicki counters the verbiage of the TV announcer for the 1988 Olympic  trials in Eugene, Oregon who said she wasn’t passing the lead runner Mary Decker Slaney because she was her idol. We hear what Vicki really was doing on her way to qualifying for the Olympics . 

Though not aware of the Honda Cup before receiving it she absolutely believes recognition and more of it is important for girls and women. Some of the best advice Vicky was given by coaches was “All in good time, be patient”, which she believes this was true for her. Vicki recounts how injuries are just part of the experience and the ability to have a supportive village; focus and determination makes the difference in being a champion or not.  This “village” helped her when, as a single mother, she decided to once again train for the Olympics, focusing on Atlanta in 1988.  She compares her experiences of 1988 Seoul and 1996 Atlanta as the difference of being “young and stupid” for the former and knowing way too much to be afraid of for the latter.  Vicki hopes she remained humble throughout her career and is pleased to be able to be giving back as a certified massage therapist and a high school coach. She cites the differences in the sport of running from 30 years ago to now and closes with encouraging everyone to lift up female athletes, to celebrate and pay attention to them.

A co-production with The Collegiate women's Sports Awards.

Host: Chris Voelz

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