Popping The Big One
Track and Field

Popping The Big One

Popping The Big One

I've been fortunate enough to go to the NCAA Championships a couple of times, but something about this year's trip was just different.

You could feel the weight of it all.

There were cameras following us around and constantly asking us questions relating to the event. Personally, I'd never experienced anything like that before. 

But if I'm being honest, it was sort of nice. We work so hard to get to that point — it was nice to get a bit of the spotlight and recognition.

As a Big Ten champion competing on a national stage, all I thought about was what I needed to do to pop the big one — you know, that big throw that would shoot me to the top of the leaderboard. 

You work hard, show up and shoot your best shot. As an athlete, that's really all you can do.

But I never popped the big one that day. And that's okay. 

It took me a while to realize I didn't need to when it came to validating my career as a student-athlete. The valuable lessons, unforgettable experiences, and lifelong friendships I've found in my journey from North Dakota State to Nebraska were so, so much bigger. 

My middle school crush

 

It's crazy to think that I would have never even been on this journey if my middle school crush, when I was in seventh grade, wasn't into track and field.

Honestly, I was kind of tired of playing baseball at the time, and I clearly wasn't aggressive enough to play football beyond grade school. So she got me into track and field, and I went on to pick up throwing.

We actually dated for about three whole days. You remember how middle school was, right?

But I'm eternally grateful for that chance meeting, putting me on the path that I'm still on to this very day. I fell in love with the sport, not just the competition part, but the community aspect of it as well. 

And once I got into my junior and senior years of high school, I started thinking about the possibility of pursuing a collegiate career.

It was a done deal when the offer from North Dakota State came through. I grew up in Fargo, attending NDSU football and basketball games ever since I was a kid. 

You know, you go to the games and look up to the players. Now, here I was receiving a chance to join the same school I spent all of those years cheering for.

Words can't even describe how excited I was for that opportunity.

"I can't ever see myself leaving the sport. I love it to the point where I know I'm always going to be throwing."

Alex Talley

An unexpected reunion

 

I competed for four years at NDSU before COVID changed everything.

It brought about so many terrible things in the world, but it did give me a chance to continue college by offering me another year of eligibility. In my mind, obviously, if you're going to give me another year, I'm going to take it.

So, I got my degree at NDSU, entered the transfer portal, and started looking at other options to continue my education. It would have been easier if it was as simple as just finding another place to continue throwing stones. 

But academics played a big role in what I wanted my next move to be.

So, I contacted several schools all over the country, including Nebraska where Coach St. Clair had just been named as the associate head coach and throwing coach. 

I told him what I was looking for academically, and he suggested to take a look at the engineering management program here at Nebraska. Everything else just fell into place perfectly, and in many ways, my collegiate journey came full circle.

Another year to compete with St. Clair as my coach — what more could I ask for?

More than a coach

 

Coach St. Clair is more than just a throwing coach. Really, he's a mentor to me.

Not only has he helped my track career by getting me where I am today, but in my personal life, he has taught me how to be a better person and how to handle situations I never thought I'd be able to handle. It's one of those relationships I can't ever see ending, even when I'm gone.

I can't see myself ever separated from him completely. 

We're always going to be friends, and he's always going to be someone I call on for advice.

I think my teammates here at Nebraska are starting to see what I see when they look at him, too. They're finding out that he builds real relationships with his athletes.

And that translates in competitions.

My return to the NCAAs as a Husker didn't end with me popping the big one, but I did post my best series ever in the weight throw. On that day, I was feeling very, very good about myself.

All of my throws were over 22 meters, and I ended up placing seventh overall in the competition. Of course, the main goal was to win, but honestly, there was nothing that could have prepared me better for that moment. I competed as hard as I could, and that's all you can do on the day.

I was just glad to have the teammates and coach I did behind me.

Some dreams come true 

 

When looking at it from that perspective, in a way, I guess you really could say I popped the big one by even being on this journey in the first place.

From my three-day girlfriend introducing me to track and field to signing with NDSU, and then transferring to Nebraska and reuniting with my former coach — all of it was me accomplishing a dream.

I can't ever see myself leaving the sport. I love it to the point where I know I'm always going to be throwing. Obviously, there isn't a big enough fan base to make this my full-time job, but I'd like to continue developing professionally.

I have the world of engineering awaiting me in the adult world beyond the track, but there's still road left on this journey. 

There's still time.

And I plan on enjoying every second of it.