SOUTHERN COMFORT MOORPARK'S BATTLE EXCELS AWAY FROM HOME.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

MOORPARK - Tai Battle will have plenty of family and friends on hand for support when the Moorpark College freshman competes in the hammer throw, discus and shot put in the State Junior College Track and Field Championships at American River College in Sacramento on Friday and Saturday.

There will be also be plenty for Battle to prove when the Northern California native returns to her old stomping grounds.

Battle, a graduate of Wood High in Vacaville who placed third in the discus as a senior in the 2004 state high school championships, shunned interest from American River, nearby Sacramento State, UC Davis and two-time defending state junior college champion Sacramento City College to continue her throwing career at Moorpark.

``The throwing community is so small and I had a lot of people tell me I was making a mistake if I went down to Los Angeles,'' Battle said. ``I am very much looking forward to proving them wrong.''

So far, Battle has no regrets. She is the state leader in the discus with a school-record distance of 166 feet, 6 inches, and she has a personal-best toss of 157-7 in the hammer throw. She won the hammer throw and the discus at the Southern California Championships on Saturday at Saddleback College to qualify for the state meet. In the Western State Conference championships on April 23, Battle won the hammer throw and discus and finished second in the shot put.

Although Battle received her parents' approval to move to Southern California, her biggest concern was leaving her mother, J.R. Richard, who had been in poor health. Richard had a hysterectomy in the fall but did not tell her daughter about her impending surgery.

``When I found out, I was really upset for her not telling me,'' Battle said. ``She is one of my biggest influences. I was really apprehensive about leaving her, but she talked me into it and told me to do what I had to do.''

In the throws, Moorpark coach Bob MacKay has been Battle's mentor. She became acquainted with Moorpark and MacKay during a visit to the campus to attend a hammer throw clinic with four-time Olympian and 1996 silver medalist Lance Deal. It didn't take long for Battle to develop a bond with MacKay.

``We had a couple of conversations and it was just like total connection,'' Battle said. ``Coach Mac is like a father figure to his throwers. I knew I was ready for the four-year college level but I wanted to excel. The biggest thing was having fun with the sport and not to be stressful.''

Battle has blossomed in all three throwing events under MacKay, who has coached the past five state champions in the men's hammer throw. She has added nearly 30 feet in the hammer throw from her high-school best of 138-7 and nearly 15 feet in the discus from her previous best of 143-7.

``He can see something in your throws and tell you something and you throw an extra 10 feet,'' Battle said.

MacKay was impressed with the 5-foot-8 Battle when he saw her throw for the first time in the discus at the 2004 state high school meet. Down to her last throw in the preliminaries after two fouls, Battle qualified for the final after she modified her spin to make a half-pivot throw to obtain a legal mark.

``It's very rare to see kids have the ability to problem-solve in a huge meet,'' MacKay said. ``That's a huge upside.''

MacKay attributes much of Battle's improvement to her practicing a regimented weightlifting program for the first time in her career.

The support of her teammates and roommates, Tommy Sugishita and Colin Veldman, has also provided inspiration. The trio share a three-bedroom home, where they spend many late nights analyzing throw videos, and they also commute to practices and classes together.

On Tuesday nights, the throwers get together at Harley's Simi Valley Bowl for friendly competitions. During workouts, it's not uncommon for them to play a round of javelin golf to liven up the afternoon.

``We are living the throws,'' Battle said. ``Our philosophy is to hang out and play hard.''

ON TRACK

What: State Junior College Track and Field Championships.

Where: American River College, Sacramento.

When: Friday and Saturday.

Notable: Moorpark College freshman Tai Battle, a graduate of Will C. Wood High in Vacaville, will return to Solano County to compete in the women's hammer throw and discus.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Moorpark's Tai Battle will compete in the state JC championships in three throwing events.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

ON TRACK (see text)