The Lake Oswego Review, Mar 6, 2008

Vern Uyetake / Lake Oswego Review

Mac Wilkins visited Lake Oswego High School last week and provided some demonstrations for its track team. Wilkins won a gold medal in the discus in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He was the last American to win a gold medal in that event.

Mac Wilkins is still pretty awesome after all of these years.

The Olympic gold medalist was on the campus of Lake Oswego High School last Wednesday to provide a heavy dose of inspiration and technique to the eager track athletes of Coach Eric Lider.

Big Mac had a little help from his friends, too, because he brought coaches and athletes from Concordia University, where he is weight events coach, to provide demonstrations of training and performance.

In return, Wilkins received hero worship.

“It is important for us to hear someone like Mac,” said Lider, who has been track coach at Lake Oswego High School for three decades. “Whether it’s me or my athletes. We need to catch his vision and get his passion.