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E-mail StoryVarner's a quick study in javelin and discus
Former BHS volleyball standout hopes to earn spot in SoCal Finals
| Friday, May 2 2008 9:51 PM
Last Updated: Friday, May 2 2008 9:54 PM
Haylee Varner built her sports reputation in volleyball, first at Bakersfield High and most recently at Bakersfield College.
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Haylee Varner (right) was talked into going out for track by her sister, Amber, who is an assistant track coach at BC. Haylee is now among the state leaders in the javelin and discus.
Now she has added track to her athletic resumé.
Following in the footsteps of her older sisters Rachel and Amber Varner, who were outstanding throwers at the University of Arizona, Haylee has quickly developed into a top thrower.
She's entered in the discus and javelin today at the Southern California preliminaries at Memorial Stadium. The field events start at 10 a.m. and the first running event begins at noon.
The top finishers today qualify for the SoCal Finals May 10, also at BC. That meet is the qualifier for the May 16-17 state championships at Cerritos College.
Haylee, 20, is ranked seventh in the state in the javelin and seventh among Southern California JC women in the discus. All of this from someone who, before this season, hadn't competed in track since her pre-high school days at Rio Bravo-Greeley School.
It took some prodding from older sister Amber, who joined the BC coaching staff this year, and other family members to talk Haylee into giving track a chance.
Haylee initially resisted other throwing events, but Amber talked her into giving the discus and, to a lesser degree, the shot a try.
"I'm all right in it. It gets points for the team," Haylee said.
Haylee said she feels confident a top-12 javelin finish is possible..
The discus? She's not as confident, even though she's coming off last week's first-place finish in the event at the Western State Conference Championships.
Amber said she's enjoyed coaching her younger sister -- with a big part of the enjoyment simply the time the two are spending together.
"Once Rachel and I left (for Arizona), Haylee was starting her freshman year in high school, so we missed a lot of her volleyball time," Amber said. "It's been a bonding time for us. It's nice to see how she's grown. Being here to help her through stuff is nice."
All four Varner siblings are active in sports. Amber, 26, was the SoCal shot put champion in 2001 in her only season at BC. She qualified for the Pac-10 Championships and West Regional meet all three of her seasons at Arizona.
Rachel, 24, was a two-time Pac-10 champion in the discus and placed 11th in the discus at the 2004 Olympic Trials. She has returned to Bakersfield and is training for the Olympic Trials.
Brother Jake, 22, just completed a spectacular wrestling season at Iowa State, where he was top-ranked in the nation and undefeated until a heart-wrenching overtime loss to Ohio State's Mike Pucillo in the 184-pound finals -- a match decided by six seconds of riding time.
The three Varner sisters, plus parents Steve and Renee, went to St. Louis for the wrestling championships to root Jake on.
"We're all about athletics, but we're also all about academics," Amber said. "We're always there for each other."