University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Off Script: Fosam Embodies the Pitt Experience
10/6/2017 4:31:00 PM | General, Track & Field
Track and Field Thrower Excels On and Off the Field
Andin Fosam is not your typical college athlete.
As a thrower on the University of Pittsburgh track and field team, her journey in the sport has just begun. It was not until her junior year of high school that Fosam decided to listen to her body and switch sports. As a former gymnast of 12 years and previous all-star cheerleader, Fosam decided to say goodbye to what she knew in order to take care of herself. After regretfully, not taking care of a sprained ankle, causing tendonitis and intense pain, Fosam realized that her years of being a gymnast and cheerleader were over, which forced her quickly decide what to pursue next.
"A lot of my friends suggested track so I was like 'ok, sure,'" said Fosam. "Every time I tried to run, my ankle would swell to the size of a softball."
It was at that time that she then pushed aside the track aspect of the sport and took to the side of field. The strength she gained from cheerleading and gymnastics were the leading force behind her newfound sport, helping her excel quickly.
It took Fosam two years to complete what many work years for – a trip to the state championship meet and an opportunity to be recruited to continue her athletic and academic career after graduation from high school. After deciding that she did not wish to attend any of the colleges she was recruited by, she accepted her admission to Pitt. It was not until she was already enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh that she decided to get into contact with the coaching staff.
"I emailed the coach in May, which is when recruiting was over, and was like 'I am coming to Pitt, I have my dorm figured out, here is my GPA, and here is what I throw, can I be on the team?' and he was pretty open to the idea."
During her first year, she gained more experience than she could have dreamed. With her first year under her belt, Fosam now had to transition coaches, as Brent Shelby took over coaching the young Panther hurler.
When coach Shelby took on the position as the throwing coach during Fosam's sophomore year, it was immediately evident that she was on board.
"You can just tell by her demeanor, she was fully invested before she knew her new coach," said Shelby. "On average, it usually takes an athlete awhile to trust a coach, but I quickly learned that Andin's personality was all in, all the time."
Determined and relentless, Fosam worked increasingly hard in order to prove that she deserved a spot of the roster, despite her lack of true experience. Perhaps it was her previous experience as a gymnast and competitive cheerleader that aided her continued success in her field events.
"A lot of my strength came from cheerleading and gymnastics, but also my proprioception," said Fosam, "I am very aware of what my body does, specifically in my throw."
Her success and all-in personality is not just on the field. For the past two summers, Fosam has resided in Pittsburgh, working to further improve herself holistically. Working to better herself physically and mentally for her upcoming season, Fosam maintained a schedule where she continued to throw and lift daily. She enjoys her summers at Pitt, expressing the joy that she gains from throwing in the summer.
In addition to her already full schedule, she spent time conducting original research in an Endocrinology lab at Pitt during the summer months. As a dual major in biological sciences and history and philosophy of science, research is essential when wanting to take a career and education further. Her research was focused on a gene that is found in American Samoans, a minority with the highest prevalence of obesity. In their research, they found a variant of a stress-sensing gene that was prevalent in American Samoans. During her time in the lab, Fosam worked to categorize this variant in cardiomyocyte, heart muscle cells, to quantify it. She also worked on manipulating the gene and characterize this in different situations, such as high fat cells, low oxygen and other scenarios.
"This summer she was throwing for an hour a day, lifting for an hour a day, studying for the MCAT and working," Shelby noted. "When she showed up to throw it was hammer time, then it was MCAT time, then it was work time. And she gave that everything she had and that is all you can really ask for from an athlete."
The hours that were spent outside of preparing for the upcoming season, Fosam spent working towards her next goal, obtaining the score that she wanted to receive on the MCAT.
"After the MCAT she was curled up in the fetal position on the couch because she worked herself to the bone. The MCAT is tough," said Shelby. "She told me what she wanted to get and what number she wanted to hit and I shook my head because I had no idea what that meant and told her to go get it."
Fosam is an all-around student-athlete. As a member of the Blue and Gold Society at Pitt, she spends the little time that she has outside of class and sport, helping the community and working to improve the university to be the best that it can be. Fosam spoke at the all-staff athletic department meeting in September, which did not come as a shock to her coach.
"Knowing her and spending as much time with her, the cream rises to the top," he said. "Now we are getting her own personal brand of it. Wherever she goes, she will find a way to be the best and to be mentioned with the best.
"Andin is funny. She has a unique personality and unique outlook and is all go all the time. To see her come in as a walk-on and to not have that confidence and to now see her standing up there about to talk to a large group, is incredible. While I have been around a lot of elite athletes, I have not been around someone applying for a Fulbright Scholarship, while trying to become an All-American, while talking to athletic administration. They just do not come up that often."
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As a thrower on the University of Pittsburgh track and field team, her journey in the sport has just begun. It was not until her junior year of high school that Fosam decided to listen to her body and switch sports. As a former gymnast of 12 years and previous all-star cheerleader, Fosam decided to say goodbye to what she knew in order to take care of herself. After regretfully, not taking care of a sprained ankle, causing tendonitis and intense pain, Fosam realized that her years of being a gymnast and cheerleader were over, which forced her quickly decide what to pursue next.
"A lot of my friends suggested track so I was like 'ok, sure,'" said Fosam. "Every time I tried to run, my ankle would swell to the size of a softball."
It was at that time that she then pushed aside the track aspect of the sport and took to the side of field. The strength she gained from cheerleading and gymnastics were the leading force behind her newfound sport, helping her excel quickly.
It took Fosam two years to complete what many work years for – a trip to the state championship meet and an opportunity to be recruited to continue her athletic and academic career after graduation from high school. After deciding that she did not wish to attend any of the colleges she was recruited by, she accepted her admission to Pitt. It was not until she was already enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh that she decided to get into contact with the coaching staff.
"I emailed the coach in May, which is when recruiting was over, and was like 'I am coming to Pitt, I have my dorm figured out, here is my GPA, and here is what I throw, can I be on the team?' and he was pretty open to the idea."
During her first year, she gained more experience than she could have dreamed. With her first year under her belt, Fosam now had to transition coaches, as Brent Shelby took over coaching the young Panther hurler.
When coach Shelby took on the position as the throwing coach during Fosam's sophomore year, it was immediately evident that she was on board.
"You can just tell by her demeanor, she was fully invested before she knew her new coach," said Shelby. "On average, it usually takes an athlete awhile to trust a coach, but I quickly learned that Andin's personality was all in, all the time."
Determined and relentless, Fosam worked increasingly hard in order to prove that she deserved a spot of the roster, despite her lack of true experience. Perhaps it was her previous experience as a gymnast and competitive cheerleader that aided her continued success in her field events.
"A lot of my strength came from cheerleading and gymnastics, but also my proprioception," said Fosam, "I am very aware of what my body does, specifically in my throw."
Her success and all-in personality is not just on the field. For the past two summers, Fosam has resided in Pittsburgh, working to further improve herself holistically. Working to better herself physically and mentally for her upcoming season, Fosam maintained a schedule where she continued to throw and lift daily. She enjoys her summers at Pitt, expressing the joy that she gains from throwing in the summer.
In addition to her already full schedule, she spent time conducting original research in an Endocrinology lab at Pitt during the summer months. As a dual major in biological sciences and history and philosophy of science, research is essential when wanting to take a career and education further. Her research was focused on a gene that is found in American Samoans, a minority with the highest prevalence of obesity. In their research, they found a variant of a stress-sensing gene that was prevalent in American Samoans. During her time in the lab, Fosam worked to categorize this variant in cardiomyocyte, heart muscle cells, to quantify it. She also worked on manipulating the gene and characterize this in different situations, such as high fat cells, low oxygen and other scenarios.
"This summer she was throwing for an hour a day, lifting for an hour a day, studying for the MCAT and working," Shelby noted. "When she showed up to throw it was hammer time, then it was MCAT time, then it was work time. And she gave that everything she had and that is all you can really ask for from an athlete."
The hours that were spent outside of preparing for the upcoming season, Fosam spent working towards her next goal, obtaining the score that she wanted to receive on the MCAT.
"After the MCAT she was curled up in the fetal position on the couch because she worked herself to the bone. The MCAT is tough," said Shelby. "She told me what she wanted to get and what number she wanted to hit and I shook my head because I had no idea what that meant and told her to go get it."
Fosam is an all-around student-athlete. As a member of the Blue and Gold Society at Pitt, she spends the little time that she has outside of class and sport, helping the community and working to improve the university to be the best that it can be. Fosam spoke at the all-staff athletic department meeting in September, which did not come as a shock to her coach.
"Knowing her and spending as much time with her, the cream rises to the top," he said. "Now we are getting her own personal brand of it. Wherever she goes, she will find a way to be the best and to be mentioned with the best.
"Andin is funny. She has a unique personality and unique outlook and is all go all the time. To see her come in as a walk-on and to not have that confidence and to now see her standing up there about to talk to a large group, is incredible. While I have been around a lot of elite athletes, I have not been around someone applying for a Fulbright Scholarship, while trying to become an All-American, while talking to athletic administration. They just do not come up that often."
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