MARYSVILLE — Truman Walker had no shortage of support at Mount Tahoma High School.
In fact, as the Marysville-Pilchuck High School sophomore competed in each of his three events this season, he had a hard time concentrating with all of his fans rooting him on.
“I’m supposed to be down there concentrating, and they were so loud, but I really liked it,” Walker said.
Obviously his teammates didn’t break his focus too much, as he came away with state titles in the shot put, javelin and discus in the mixed wheel chair division of the state track meet at Mount Tahoma High School May 28.
The medals Walker won were the most public of his many athletic accomplishments, all of which he has earned in roughly three years.
Walker, who was afflicted with Spina Bifida at birth, leaving him with the ability to walk short distances, has needed a wheelchair since age 4, but only recently started competing in athletic events, starting with basketball.
Although Walker now makes playing basketball look easy, it wasn’t always that way.
“When I played my first game, I was really nervous,” he said.
Now, Walker plays for the Junior Rolling Sonics, which is made up of players from western Washington. He has traveled around the country, playing for various teams and wants to play basketball in college.
“Illinois and Texas have some really good teams and so does Arizona,” he said. “I want to keep playing basketball. I like going as fast as I can and getting by the defense — and scoring.”
Track is something Walker picked up more recently, as he raced at state in his freshman year, but decided against it in 2010 because he didn’t have a racing chair that fit him well enough.
“I just wanted to expand my horizons and I didn’t think that I was fast enough to keep racing distance,” he said. “And I really like throwing.”
Walker finished with three medals, tossing distances of 41-2 in the javelin, 17-9.25 in the shot put and 60-10 in the discus.
“It was a totally different thing that I was used to. I have done sports where endurance matters more, but throwing is all about getting as much out of every movement as you can.”
And Walker has no plans on slowing down, as he hopes to start racing again at state — and he even got a tennis racquet for his birthday.
“I didn’t ask for it, I just thought why not?,” he said.
