May 27, 2005

Music, memories fuel thrower through grief

UCSB TRACK & FIELD

5/27/05

By MARK PATTON NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER

Amy Haapanen grew up in a house full of playthings.

There were enough flutes, and piccolos, and recorders to keep any active girl happy.

"I had the kind of dad who would sing me to sleep while playing the guitar," said Amy. "He had a music store before he changed careers, and he kept many of the instruments.

"There was always something lying around the house for me to play."

UCSB junior Amy Haapanen can now play nine instruments -- but along the way, she picked up some other things to play with.

She returns to the NCAA West Regional Track and Field Championships today in Eugene, Ore., hoping to qualify for nationals once again in the hammer throw, discus and shot put.

It makes perfect sense to Gaucho coach John Dagata that a versatile musician would also be setting school records in those three disciplines of strength.

"She's an unbelievable technician," said Dagata, who coaches the throwers. "She really thinks things out. She records everything we do, and does a great job of improving those things.

"What her father really taught her -- whether it be in music or sports -- was that no matter what it is, don't be afraid to try it, and work at it, and become skilled at it. She's never been scared to try anything that I've asked of her."

And she has not shrunken away from the most difficult season of her life.

Her father, Dennis Haapanen, became seriously ill with Wagner's disease six years ago. His condition took a turn for the worse two months ago.

"He went into the hospital, and the doctors started asking us to make some decisions about him," said Amy. "I'm an only child, and dad handled all the bills and mortgage and everything. It was just very tough on my mom when I wasn't there."

Amy soon began making weekly trips from Santa Barbara to Manteca to be with her mother, Iris, while trying to maintain a 3.34 GPA in global studies.

"I've clocked it many times -- It's 330 miles and about a five-hour drive, depending on traffic and the type of car you have," she said.

In the last two months, between family matters and track meets, Amy Haapanen has been in Santa Barbara only Mondays through Wednesdays.

It's not the best way to train for the NCAAs, let alone remain an honors student.

"I want to compete at regionals and compete well," she said softly. "It's just that I feel like I'm battling a lot to do that."

Haapanen rewrote UCSB's record book last year with marks of 52-0 in the shot put, 169-1 in the discus and 196-2 in the hammer. Most throwers specialize in just one or two events, but Haapanen was one of only two athletes to qualify for the 2004 National Track and Field Championships in all three.

"We definitely put an importance on all three events, for what's best for the team," said Dagata. "I'm a big promoter of throwing versatility."

Haapanen was versatile enough to handle the challenge. She was a sturdy, 5-foot-10 basketball star while at East Union High in Manteca and was recruited by several colleges for both sports. Even in track and field, she wasn't just a thrower.

"I was a sprinter and long jumper when I first started track in fifth grade," she said. "When I got into junior high, I was still mostly doing those events -- but the coach was looking for someone to help the team out with points, and so he asked, 'Who wants to do the shot put?' "

And Amy was always one to help.

She had hoped to become a music major in college, just like her dad. The scheduling demands of a Division 1 athlete wouldn't allow it, but she would still pull out her flute every year and perform at the Gauchos' "Crab Feed" fundraiser. Music remained a big part of Amy Haapanen.

"Sometimes, after a basketball game or just a day of high school, I'd walk into the house, get a class of milk and just sit down at the piano," she recalled. "I'd practice for about two hours a night -- and not because I had to or needed to, but because I thought it was fun. Then I might play the flute for an hour or so.

"It really was an outlet for me -- especially the piano, because I could play it while actually thinking about something else. It was very therapeutic for me."

But now, at a time when she most needs one, there is no time for outlets.

"I have my flute and recorder here, and there's a piano available," Haapanen said, "but I just haven't been able to pick anything up for the last few months."

Her last performance was the toughest. She played the flute at her father's memorial service on Sunday in Manteca.

Dennis Haapanen, age 60, passed away May 3, eight days before the Big West Conference Championships.

"She was very close to her father and mother," said Dagata. "Her family decided that it would be best to have the services after the conference meet, which says a lot about them."

The coaches told Haapanen that they would understand if she passed on it, but she knew what that would do to the Gauchos' chances.

"I wanted to be there for them," she said softly.

The first event of the meet was the women's hammer throw, and Haapanen won it with a throw of 194-10 -- just short of her conference record. UCSB's women continued on to win their first league championship in history.

Her marks are still not where she wants them to be. She wonders if she'll be able to focus in Eugene this week -- or especially in Sacramento, just down the road from Manteca, when the NCAA Nationals are held there next month.

"I'm competing because I want to, and maybe I'm trying to prove something to myself," Haapanen said. "But at the same time, I've been going through a lot of battles to do that. I'm feeling it, physically."

And it's difficult for her not to think of the father who had hoped to make that one last meet in Sacramento.

"Growing up was a lot of fun for me, with the life that my mom and dad gave me," said Amy. "We were always doing things together, like playing duets."

Dennis Haapanen did get to record one last tune on the piano as a gift to his daughter.

Amy played it on Sunday, and said goodbye with one last duet.

e-mail: mpatton@newspress.com