GODINA TO LEAVE COACH, BIG CITY LIFE BEHIND.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News One marriage is ending for John Godina John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. in the shot put at the 2004 Olympics. Another one will begin for the three-time world champion in 2005. Godina, 32, will leave longtime coach Art Venegas after the Athens Olympics Athens Olympics
Olympic Games • to move from Northridge to Tempe, Ariz., with his fiance, Kendra Jordan. The UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX graduate emphasizes the move merely signals a new phase in his career, not the end of it. Godina will make his third Olympic appearance in Athens. ``I want to make sure that I leave on a high note,'' Godina said. I want to make sure that everybody realizes that it is not a dysfunctional relationship that is causing the move. It's not a situation where there is a problem. There is no problem. It is just part of a plan that I have.'' The Northridge resident has trained with Venegas since 1990, starting with his days at UCLA where he was a five-time NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association champion. The partnership has produced world championships in the shot put in 1995, 1997 and 2001, a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and a bronze four years ago in Sydney. ``(Venegas) has given me pretty good guidance for the last 14 years,' Godina said. ``There is no reason to abandon his ideas at all.'' Godina, a Wyoming native, said the move from Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, was prompted over the past several years by a dislike of big city life. A weeklong week·long adj. Continuing through the week: a weeklong conference. Adj. 1. weeklong - lasting through a week; "her weeklong vacation" seven-day family visit in December that ended up spanning nearly a month sealed his decision. ``When I was out there, I was saying, `You know it feels good to be back out here away from L.A. Why don't I stay out here a little bit longer?' '' Godina said. ``It ended up being until after Christmas.'' Godina considered returning to Wyoming, but the frigid frig·id adj. 1. Extremely cold. 2. Persistently averse to sexual intercourse. winter is not conducive to training. The move to Tempe was the perfect alternative. ``I am not one of those kinds of people who just does something,'' Godina said. ``I plan it out extensively. It took me months and months to decide where I was going to end up going. I don't fly by the seat of my pants like that. When I make decisions, they are well thought out.'' In Tempe, Godina will be reunited "Reunited" was a #1 hit in the United States in 1979 by the Washington, D.C.-based group Peaches & Herb. Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5 1979 Succeeded by "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer with former UCLA roommate and teammate David Dumble, the throws coach at Arizona State. Godina will be only a 1-hour flight from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. if he needs to consult with Venegas. ``I chose to go to a place where I could perform just the way that (Venegas) would want me to perform,'' Godina said. ``(Dumble) threw under him, and we both have the same ideas about how to get things done. It is just going to be a satellite campus from UCLA. That's all it's really going to be.'' It will be difficult for Godina to reproduce the training environment that he has with Venegas at UCLA. Among his training partners are Carl Brown, the 2003 national champion in the discus discus /dis·cus/ (dis´kus) pl. dis´ci [L.] disk. dis·cus n. pl. dis·ci A flat circular surface; a disk. discus pl. disci [L.] 1. , and Seilala Sua Seilala Sua (born 25 February 1978) is an American discus thrower. Her personal best throw is 65.90 metres, achieved in July 2000 in Sacramento. Achievements Year Tournament Venue Result Extra 1996 World Junior Championships Sydney, Australia 2nd , who won the discus at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. Godina credits much of his success to training with that elite group. He plans to invite other throwers to train with him in Tempe. ``The biggest thing is the sheer motivational thing,'' Godina said. ``It is a great environment here. The biggest thing that I want to try and do is recreate the environment here. I know it will never be the same. Hopefully, if I get it close, it will be functional.'' Godina and Venegas have had long discussions regarding the split, and both said they will be parting on good terms. Venegas said Godina will always be welcome to return to Los Angeles to train, even if just for a weekend. ``I've never told him when to stop and when to keep going,'' Venegas said. ``I just said talk to me at the beginning of the year, think about what happened and let me know if you are going to keep throwing. And if you are, I'd love to work with you. I've always held up my end of it.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Former UCLA standout shot putter John Godina will move to Tempe, Ariz., after he competes in the upcoming Olympics. Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News |
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