Born December 29, 1953, Long Beach, Calif.

No athlete has a more appropiate nickname than Kathryn "Kate" Schmidt. She was nicknamed "Kate the Great," and with good reason. She totally dominated the American women's javelin throwing scene for a decade. The last of her nine American records (227-5) still stands 20 years later. Her 227-5 was also a world record, and established her place on the international scene. Kate was third at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics Games and was also a member of the 1980 Oympic team that didn't compete. She just missed making the 1984 team when she placed fourth. She won seven national titles and during the span from 1972 to 1977 raised the American javelin record from 198-8 to 227-5. From 1972 through 1984, she placed in the top three at every national championship except for 1982 when she was fourth. Schmidt attended both California State University at Long Beach and UCLA and was the AIAW javelin champion in 1975.