Umholtz weighs in on responsiblities

By Stephanie Smith

Nick Umholtz knows how to throw his weight around. Whether it be on the field, in church or just being "dad," Umhultz seems to be able to do it all with a smile and a sense of purpose.

Even when he's come straight from the weight room, he still has a distinctive ease about him, a lightness. When he talks there's no hesitation, no stutter, everything has an answer and a reason. Nick Umholtz knows his roles in life, and there are many, some of which he never saw coming.

While attending Ridgeview High School, Umholtz was into football, not track and field. In fact, seriously taking up the sport never crossed his mind until he was already at CSUB.

"One day I just decided to join the team. I walked in the coach's office and told him I wanted to throw. He looked at me and asked: 'Do you want to compete? Walk-ons usually never make it.'"

On his first day at practice, he was met with warm, but realistic expectations.

"A guy on the team looked at me and then at my new throwing shoes, and asked: 'When you quit can I have your shoes?' That's when I knew I was going to have to work really hard to prove myself to these guys."

Getting to know his teammates and developing friendships with them was important to Umholtz. They're the people he spends most his of time with, and it's much nicer to be able to respect and communicate with them.

"The guys on my team know things about me, and I know things about them. We respect things about one another," he said.

From that first day on, Umholtz has not only been proving those guys and coaches wrong, but also proving to himself he can do anything he sets his mind to.

"My goal is to make it to the Olympic trials. Someone from Cal State has already done that in my sport, so I have a good coach and role model in him. I think if I keep pushing and getting better, I can make it, too."

For now Umholtz is a nationally ranked hammer thrower; however that isn't all he does. He's a husband, father, student, aspiring business owner, church youth leader and musician in his "spare" time. All this started accumulating a long time ago.

Umholtz knew the woman he would one day marry from a young age; they met at his father's church. However, it wasn't until many years later when they ran into each other again, at work actually, did they know it would be something much more. After dating only a couple weeks, they decided to get married, and they did, on Christmas Day 2004. Their daughter, Melody, was born soon after in November 2005.

"That is my real job. I want to be the best father and husband I can be," he said.

What's in the future for Umholtz? What isn't? As of now he is considering the non-profit sector. Food drives and work-placement programs are where he feels he could make a difference for his community.

"I want to give my life to help people," Umholtz said, "but without hard work you get nothing."

To take his mind off sports and competition, to a more peaceful state of mind, Umholtz writes and plays music. With the ability to be a one man band, playing the guitar, violin, piano, and other instruments he's found an escape in the power of music.

"That is what I do. I write praise and worship songs for myself and my church. My wife and I are the youth pastors at His House of Refuge."

For now school and athletics are what stand before him. With only three months out of the year without competitions-but not without training, it would seem there's little time to dedicate himself to his many commitments.

"I just take one day at a time and know that God has a plan for me and my life. I trust that."

What is it in people that keep them so calm and confident, when there are so many things demanding their fullest attention? For Nick Umholtz it is his faith. Without it, nothing he does or has planned for himself would matter, or be possible for that matter. A belief in a higher power and knowledge of a greater good are all he needs to get through the task at hand and on to the next.

"I believe that prayer and my faith are what allow me to do all the things I do. It is what has given me the ability to come this far."