Thank you for visiting my website! My name is Tim Wunderlich, a 2009 graduate of Dartmouth College and an Assistant Coach with Marietta College’s track and field team. I am currently coaching jumpers, multis, and javelin at Marietta while continuing to train as a post-collegiate decathlete. Please feel free to post any questions or comments. Hope you enjoy your stay!
Well the start lists have come out for the US Championships this weekend, and I am not on them. It turns out, USATF took 16 decathletes this year, so my score from last year wasn’t even high enough to be considered, and the petition was a moot point. The field for this year’s meet is insane, and it took about as high as it did to qualify for the Olympic Trials last year! I will be watching jealously…
On a lighter note, I found a low key decathlon next weekend in New Jersey called “Vertical Adventures”. I am well-trained and it would be a shame to not see what I can score, so I have decided I am competing. It may not be the high quality field or facility I was looking for, but with good conditions and a well-managed meet, some very good things could happen. It will be a little harder to get myself motivated, but having family there and starting the day off with a couple good events will help light the fire I need to perform well.
Until then, I am spending a few more days in Ohio, specifically working a youth track camp this coming Thursday and Friday, then its off to MD to spend some much needed time with family and meet prep for next weekend!
Wish me luck!
My next move is to hopefully compete at the USA Championships in Des Moines, IA on June 20-21. I haven’t scored as high as I did last year, but my score from last year qualifies for this year’s championships. However, at my qualifying meet, there was an issue with the timing system for the 100m, so USATF is wary of accepting scores from that meet. I have petitioned USATF to let my score count, since I think it will be high enough to get into this year’s meet, and I truly believe my point total is valid (within 20 points or so).
Now I must wait until all the entries are posted and the declaration deadline is passed (next Monday), so I am crossing my fingers that they decide I am good to go, then comes the last minute travel planning to Iowa! I feel as though my next meet will be my best of the year, so I’m hoping USATF makes the right decision so I can experience the most competitive meet of my athletic career.
Pray for me!
I know its been too long since my last post. Once my job started at Marietta, I’ve felt like I’ve been on the go constantly. Between practice, traveling for meets, recruiting, and my own training, this year has seemed to fly by.
One thing is for certain…I have enjoyed my time in Marietta thus far. The coaching staff I work with has been more than flexible and fun to be around. My athletes, despite a change in coaching and very different training philosophies, have adapted well to my style and most were able to make vast improvements in their events. Our women finished 5th indoors and 3rd outdoors in our conference championship, having only scored about 10 women in the entire meet! Our men finished a close third indoors and fourth outdoors. With two small squads, the gutsy performances from a few individuals on both sides contributed to a huge difference in our team scores, and set a precedent for our younger athletes. I was slightly disappointed that we were not able to send more athletes to the national meet, but I’m optimistic that the mentality of our future team will be one of motivation and drive to compete at the highest level possible. Despite the difficulty recruiting to an isolated, expensive, private campus, a couple incoming recruits I think will help us tremendously next year.
Aside from daily coaching, recruiting, and administrative work, I have been able to keep up with my training the entire year, and remain quite healthy to boot. Despite not being able to compete as much as last year, I have been able to make some progress in my events and get accepted into bigger meets. I was able to do 2 heptathlons indoors, putting up my best score since college (Akron, 5136), and have completed 3 decathlons thus far this season. The most notable was my selection as a member of Team USA for the Pan American Combined events Cup in Ottawa, ON. Despite horrible weather, the meet and experience overall was a blast. Meeting all the other countries, my compatriots, getting all the USA gear, my family coming to watch, the celebration, the prize money!…it was a once and a lifetime experience I will never forget.
