Frozen Tot Chronicles

GO, NELL, GO!

VanNannerkins keeps some pretty elite company around here. Not only is her best guy, Daddio, a highly decorated masters athlete, she brushes elbows with quite the circle of elite track athletes. See her here, getting dry-run tips on surfing from "Auntie" Nell.

Don't worry, daughter. You look boss in that bikini. And if you take after your Daddy, you might just have one of those muscle-clad midsections like "Auntie" Nell.

And if you take after your mama, well, that's okay, too. Nothing wrong with a big, soft, white tummy.

This week, on Wednesday and Thursday, Nell is competing in her first heptathlon in a long, long time. She's trying to get a qualifying score for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Please join me in thinking strong thoughts for her.

The elite athletes who compete at the Olympic Trials get a chance to make the U.S. Olympic Team that goes to Beijing for the summer games. Only the top three placers in each event make the team. So she's vying for one of three spots that are open once every four years. Kind of a lofty goal.

Nell - or Nelga, the Gladiator name Chris made up for her - has come a long way since she was valedictorian of her high school in 2002 - graduating class of 8 (and that was after combining two towns).

Here is a heptathlon primer...

There are 7 track and field events contested over two days. Day 1 is 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meter sprint. Day 2 is the long jump, javelin, and 800 meter run. Heptathletes get a certain number of points for their marks, the more points the better. The total score determines who wins the two day heptathlon competition. The hepathlon is the female version of the decathlon, which is 10 events over two days, not to be confused with the triathlon (which is three endurance events in one day). Got it? You're all experts now!

Okay, well, making the U.S. Olympic team this year in the heptathlon is probably not going to be Nell's gig. You see, even if she were ranked 1st in the U.S., her overall score would need to be 6000 points - the minimum standard mark for Olympic competitors.