Kate Walker looked up into the crowd that filled the auditorium at Lange Middle School. It was 2007, and she had just won gold in powerlifting at the Show-Me State games.
She never thought the day would come where she would be standing atop a podium, especially with a medal around her neck.
It was just the beginning.
On Sunday, everything came full circle for Walker, who was the first powerlifter to be inducted to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. The 66-year-old was alongside Missouri basketball standout Jon Sundvold and former Missouri athletics director Joe Castiglione, among others. In total, the Hall of Fame enshrined 15 people.
Walker, a Stephens College graduate, could not imagine that a moment in 2007 would jump-start a hall-of-fame career.
Especially considering some of the adversity that could have railroaded her ascension.
Walker had a severe case of osteoarthritis, beginning in her mid-40s. She had trouble walking. The pain, at times, was debilitating, she said.
This issue manifested itself for Walker after years of dancing throughout her childhood. She participated in tap dancing beginning at age 5 in Marietta, Georgia. Dance taught her discipline, proper technique and the value of the athlete-to-coach relationship. But it also brought her pain later in life.
Walker wanted to stay active, but issues with her lower body stripped her of confidence. She always feared that the next exercise or workout might have ended with a blown-out knee.
Tom LaFontaine, a current health and fitness mentor, pushed her to keep exercising and recommended powerlifting because it would offer her less strain on her legs. Powerlifting includes events such as the bench press, deadlift and squat. In her mid-50s at the time, Walker was willing to try anything.
As Walker became more comfortable with her health, her itch to compete grew stronger.
Then an opportunity presented itself at the 2007 Show-Me State Games.
Nerves filled Walker that day. But when it was time to compete, she zoned in. The crowd, the referees, the noise all faded into the background. She took a second to find her husband, and then she took a deep breath.
Walker visualized her lift, as she does each time she approaches the bar. Placing her back evenly on the bench, she wrapped her hands around the bar and positioned her shoulder blades in a downward position on the bench. Another deep breath. She pushed upward and let out a massive exhale.
The rest is a blur.
Next thing Walker knew, she was standing on the podium with a gold medal around her neck.
To some, like Linda Struckhoff of Older Women On Weights, Walker is a role model.
OWOW, is a program established in 2012 to encourage women ages 50 to 70 to get in shape through weight training and competition.
Struckhoff joined the group to become a “stronger woman” in terms of her physical capacity. The goal was to lead a better, healthier life, Struckhoff said.
Walker’s willingness to help others is what draws Struckhoff to her.
“She is an inspiration for me because she is so accomplished in the powerlifting field because she has been there and done that,” Struckhoff said. “It’s hard to put into words how inspirational she is to me.”
The relationships trumps the recognition.
Walker’s Hall of Fame speech on Sunday echoed that exact sentiment. It is still all too surreal for her.
Courtesy of: Missourian