Baird Wins Third Straight Title at Penn Relays

By Carl Little

Friday, April 25, 2008

Natalie Baird took one look at her father’s cellphone yesterday and then exploded with laughter. Just 20 minutes after she’d won the discus competition at the Penn Relays, five people had called, eager to know the outcome. Baird left her own cellphone in the car, but guessed that it probably had just as many, if not more, missed calls.

The handful of well-wishers later learned what Baird’s competition had found out already. She was the best the Penn Relays had to offer, throwing 154 feet 9.75 inches to claim a record third straight championship. It wasn’t until the Park View senior stood on the winner’s podium at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, where she received the champion’s gold watch, that she learned from the public address announcer that her mark was the third-best in the history of the meet.

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Practicing Without a Field

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Park View senior Natalie Baird wins a record third discus title. (Toni L. Sandys)

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Natalie Baird, 17, works on her discus throw at Park View High School in Sterling. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Natalie Baird, 17, and friend Meredith Oare, 15, unload their training gear and some extra winter clothes as they get ready to train outside on Park View's field. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Natalie Baird, right, and her friend Meredith Oare, 15, walk onto Park View High School's track for winter training. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Natalie Baird, 17, trains outdoors at Park View High School. She has just finished some warm-up laps on the track and is now changing her shoes, as she gets ready to throw the discus. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Natalie Baird, 17, warms up on the track at Park View High School before practicing her discus throw. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Natalie Baird and her friend, Meredith Oare, run some warm-up laps on the track at Park View High School before they practice some discus throws. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Still, Baird, who will attend William & Mary in the fall, seemed more taken with the number of family members and school friends who called to show support than anything else.

“I feel loved,” Baird said, laughing. “I just think they care.”

Her father, Brian Baird, who is an assistant on the Park View boys’ team, was less understated about what she had just accomplished.

“It’s really special," he said. “She’ll remember this for the rest of her life.”

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks