University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Mia Anderson
February 08, 2022 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Mia Anderson has never had to look far for some wisdom on the life of an elite athlete. The Georgia track and field thrower is the daughter of Jamal Anderson, who had a great career as an Atlanta Falcons running back (1994-2001), earning All-Pro honors in 1998 while leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl.
Anderson, a redshirt sophomore from Buford, Ga., was a softball player in high school until a coach finally convinced her to give track and field a try. She tried life on the track but quickly realized that the field was a much better fit.
During a recent Quick Chat, Anderson talked about her start in the throws, her dad's good advice, her favorite food, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: How did you get started in track and field?
Anderson: I played softball — I was a player with a very strong arm — and all of the coaches used to try to convince me to try track and try throwing. I was always like, I'm a softball player and I don't really want to try anything else.
Time passed and track and softball are in opposite seasons (spring and fall), so I could try it and see how it goes. So I went to track my junior year and I went out and tried a sprint workout first [laughs]. I saw the workout and I was like, this is not for me. They were like, "OK, I want you to try something." I tried shot put first and was like, this actually isn't too bad.
I started throwing and was good at it from the start, with no technique at all. The coaches told me I could really do this and so I gave it a try — and the rest is history.
Frierson: Were you lucky enough to have a good coach in high school, someone that could teach you all of the technical stuff you didn't know?
Anderson: We had a pretty good throws coach. Actually, Elsie Igberaese, her high school coach coached Reese Hoffa and a bunch of other really well-known throwers, and I was lucky enough to have his wife (Jill Machovec) be my high school coach. She knew a lot of about throwing and she really helped me.
I was also looking around to try to do stuff outside of high school track and I found Mike Judge, a really good throwing coach in Marietta. I was going to him for extra training on the weekends and he really helped me.
Frierson: How much does having a former NFL star running back help when you're developing into an elite athlete yourself?
Anderson: A lot, a lot. My dad, he's taught me so much about sports. From such a young age he was always like, "You're going to be an athlete. We're going to find what you want to do and be successful at, because you have me genes." It's kind of funny, he put us in every sport to see if we liked it and let us find what we were passionate about.
In softball, he helped me so much with pitching, and a lot of the mental side of the game, too. I think it's so valuable because whenever I need any advice, I can just call my dad and he knows. He's competed at the highest levels so he can tell me and guide me. I'm very, very fortunate to have not only his genes but also to be able to call him whenever and learn so much from him.
For me with track, I wasn't the very best and I started very late, and you need experience to be really good at it. I feel like my dad's story kind of played out the same way.
Frierson: Because you didn't start until your junior year of high school, do you feel like you still have a ton of ground to make up on your competitors that started throwing way earlier?
Anderson: Oh, for sure. I'm also younger, too, and in throwing you peak when you're older and stronger and faster. Also, when I got here to UGA, Coach (Don) Babbitt thought it would be best for me long-term to switch me to spinning (in the lead-up on her shot put and weight throws), and that's a process. Every day I'm learning something new and it's challenging.
I'm finally now getting more comfortable with the technique. I still am very much behind but I'm getting stronger and faster and moving in the right direction.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Anderson: Probably pizza. I'm a very plain person when it comes to food, I'm very picky, so I'd probably go with a cheese pizza. If it does get special it's going to be spinach and tomato. Fully Loaded has the margherita pizza and that's one of my favorites.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Anderson: I'm not really super creative but I like doing crafts and things like that. My grandma used to have us do them. We'd go to her house in the summer and do crafts and paint and stuff. That's really fun to me, but right now I can't find the free time to do it. I really do like painting and doing crafts, I find it very relaxing.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Mia Anderson has never had to look far for some wisdom on the life of an elite athlete. The Georgia track and field thrower is the daughter of Jamal Anderson, who had a great career as an Atlanta Falcons running back (1994-2001), earning All-Pro honors in 1998 while leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl.
Anderson, a redshirt sophomore from Buford, Ga., was a softball player in high school until a coach finally convinced her to give track and field a try. She tried life on the track but quickly realized that the field was a much better fit.
During a recent Quick Chat, Anderson talked about her start in the throws, her dad's good advice, her favorite food, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: How did you get started in track and field?
Anderson: I played softball — I was a player with a very strong arm — and all of the coaches used to try to convince me to try track and try throwing. I was always like, I'm a softball player and I don't really want to try anything else.
Time passed and track and softball are in opposite seasons (spring and fall), so I could try it and see how it goes. So I went to track my junior year and I went out and tried a sprint workout first [laughs]. I saw the workout and I was like, this is not for me. They were like, "OK, I want you to try something." I tried shot put first and was like, this actually isn't too bad.
I started throwing and was good at it from the start, with no technique at all. The coaches told me I could really do this and so I gave it a try — and the rest is history.
Frierson: Were you lucky enough to have a good coach in high school, someone that could teach you all of the technical stuff you didn't know?
Anderson: We had a pretty good throws coach. Actually, Elsie Igberaese, her high school coach coached Reese Hoffa and a bunch of other really well-known throwers, and I was lucky enough to have his wife (Jill Machovec) be my high school coach. She knew a lot of about throwing and she really helped me.
I was also looking around to try to do stuff outside of high school track and I found Mike Judge, a really good throwing coach in Marietta. I was going to him for extra training on the weekends and he really helped me.
Frierson: How much does having a former NFL star running back help when you're developing into an elite athlete yourself?
Anderson: A lot, a lot. My dad, he's taught me so much about sports. From such a young age he was always like, "You're going to be an athlete. We're going to find what you want to do and be successful at, because you have me genes." It's kind of funny, he put us in every sport to see if we liked it and let us find what we were passionate about.
In softball, he helped me so much with pitching, and a lot of the mental side of the game, too. I think it's so valuable because whenever I need any advice, I can just call my dad and he knows. He's competed at the highest levels so he can tell me and guide me. I'm very, very fortunate to have not only his genes but also to be able to call him whenever and learn so much from him.
For me with track, I wasn't the very best and I started very late, and you need experience to be really good at it. I feel like my dad's story kind of played out the same way.
Frierson: Because you didn't start until your junior year of high school, do you feel like you still have a ton of ground to make up on your competitors that started throwing way earlier?
Anderson: Oh, for sure. I'm also younger, too, and in throwing you peak when you're older and stronger and faster. Also, when I got here to UGA, Coach (Don) Babbitt thought it would be best for me long-term to switch me to spinning (in the lead-up on her shot put and weight throws), and that's a process. Every day I'm learning something new and it's challenging.
I'm finally now getting more comfortable with the technique. I still am very much behind but I'm getting stronger and faster and moving in the right direction.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Anderson: Probably pizza. I'm a very plain person when it comes to food, I'm very picky, so I'd probably go with a cheese pizza. If it does get special it's going to be spinach and tomato. Fully Loaded has the margherita pizza and that's one of my favorites.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Anderson: I'm not really super creative but I like doing crafts and things like that. My grandma used to have us do them. We'd go to her house in the summer and do crafts and paint and stuff. That's really fun to me, but right now I can't find the free time to do it. I really do like painting and doing crafts, I find it very relaxing.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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