Sage Kramer of Philomath becomes a double state champion … in her ‘other’ sport!
By René Ferrán
A year ago, Sage Kramer had lined up a job to earn a little money before she had to ready for her junior basketball season at Philomath.
Her father, however, suggested she should instead turn out for track.
“At the last minute, I decided, OK, I’ll try track,” Kramer said. “But I was super scared to do it.”
The first event she picked up was the javelin, working with Warriors throws coach Brian Lucas on the intricacies of the event. By season’s end, she finished fourth at the culminating-week 4A state meet, and she was hooked.
This spring, Kramer — fresh off leading Philomath to the state basketball title and earning 4A player of the year honors — arrived at Hayward Field in Eugene for the OSAA track and field championships a triple Oregon West district champion, having swept the throws titles.
She left a double state champion, winning the javelin title Friday morning and the shot put Saturday. She placed fourth in the discus, contributing 25 points to Philomath’s team championship.
“It’s pretty amazing to come out and top off my senior year with a state championship,” Kramer said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Kramer, who will play basketball at Westmont College, an NAIA school near Santa Barbara, Calif., said her experience on the hardwood helped her prepare for the pressure of a state meet at Hayward.
“I was kind of nervous about this,” she said. “But one of the things I was thinking before was about some of the games I’d played in basketball. I told myself, ‘I’ve been in this situation before, and I can handle it.’”
In the javelin, she sat in third place after the first two rounds before launching a career-best throw of 120 feet, 7 inches, to take the lead going to the finals.
“I’d noticed all season that I’d been working on my left foot plant, and at the same time, bringing the arm through,” she explained. “That finally came together at the same time. My arm was able to whip through, and I got a big throw.”
The shot played out in similar fashion. Kramer sat in fourth place heading to the finals and fell to fifth after fouling in the fourth round.
On her fifth throw, she came up with another personal-best throw — a 35-7 that held up the rest of the competition.
“I still can’t believe that,” Kramer said. “I wasn’t expecting to come out here and do that. It’s incredible.”
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