UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— "Let's have a good time."
That is what senior track and field captain Maddie Holmberg said in regard to high-level competition meets, such as last week's Dr. Sander Invitational at the Armory and this week's National Open at Penn State's Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track/Multi-Sport Facility.
Holmberg triumphed with a total of 4,171 points in the pentathlon event last weekend at the Dr. Sander Invitational, and she recently earned her first Athlete of the Week honors of 2020 from the Big Ten.
At the National Open, where Penn State will host 31 teams from across the country, Holmberg is excited to have the Nittany Lions unified, as the team was split last weekend between the Armory and the Rod McCravy Memorial in Kentucky.
Not only will the team have the comfort of competing on their own track, but according to Holmberg, the team will also have each other to feed off strength and support.
"I think it will be exciting," Holmberg said. "We have two meets under our belt now coming into the season, so I think there is going to be a lot of great performances again with the competition. Everyone is really ready to step up."
While she may not be competing in five events this weekend, she will be competing in the shot put and high jump events. Last weekend, Holmberg's second throw in the shot put event traveled 43-3.25 (13.19m), which ultimately helped her win the event. In the high jump, Holmberg jumped 5-3.25 (1.61m).
Despite her great success in those events, Holmberg has been working hard to improve in both the high jump and the shot put at the National Open, as they are not her strongest nor primary events. Nevertheless, Holmberg—while she still hopes for success— doesn't feel any pressure weighing on her shoulders.
Perhaps the famous quote, "Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won," said by track and field coach and Nike co-founder, Billy Bowerman, fits Holmberg's mentality.
Holmberg goes into important meets with the mentality of "having a good time" because she knows how much work she puts in during the weeks leading up to a meet and all during preseason.
"You've been grinding all preseason and now it's kind of time to let that prosper and let that come to life," she said. "My mentality is that I know I have done all that I can to prepare, and now it's time to just be an athlete and have fun."
Coming off an injury last season, Holmberg is just grateful and excited to compete going into this weekend. Her perspective has shifted from having the pressure of performing to now just being appreciative of her opportunities.
But pure enjoyment of track and field does not get Holmberg in a focused state of mind alone. Before a meet, she will try to stay relaxed throughout the day, and as the meet approaches, she will listen to music and watch a montage of film from the Rio and London Olympics. Last weekend before she competed at the Armory, Holmberg watched a video of a sermon.
Those pre-meet rituals not only help her be a visual learner, but it also helps her get in the right spot of perspective to reignite her purpose of competing.
"Then, when I walk into the venue it's just ready to rock, ready to have fun," Holmberg said.
That fun-loving attitude on the track has helped her throughout the week since her outstanding performance at the Armory, and though the fun is important, she is still motivated.
Holmberg's motivation stems from "knowing her purpose," which has taken her years to mature as an athlete and realize that she is much more than just a race number pinned to her uniform.
"What I want to be known for when I leave the program at Penn State—a lot of it has nothing to do with athletics—but the way that I am able to make my teammates feel, to inspire other people and to break records so that people can break those records," Holmberg said.
If she can do what she wants to be known for there is no doubt she will continue to have success. And while she wants those records, for her it's all about giving her best.
"I give 100% in my attitude and in my effort, so when it comes time to compete, I'm just ready to win," Holmberg said. "Win for myself, for my teammates, and to make my family proud, my team proud—and that's pretty much what motivates me."
