Before blasting out of the starting blocks, sprinters usually put both hands on the ground. Not Violet Hall. She doesn’t have a right hand.
That, however, has not deterred the Bloomington High School South senior. She stunned the field at this month’s Para National Championships, winning the 200 meters ahead of a two-time silver medalist in the event at the Paralympics.
Hall will compete for the U.S. at the Para World Championships in New Delhi, India, starting September 27. She’ll run the 100 and 200 meters in the T46 category, which is for athletes who have a single arm amputation above or below the elbow — or a similar impairment — and normal leg functions.
Born without the lower part of her right arm, Hall had an occupational therapist who helped her learn how to do things at a young age.
She ran the 200 in 25.47 seconds at the Para National Championships. Her time in this year’s Indiana state girls track meet, 25.56 seconds, was 15th among athletes with full use of both arms to generate speed.
“She's always been so creative and flexible,” said Violet’s mom, Milet Hall. “She just knows what she needs to get done, and she does it.”
That includes the starting blocks.
“I do keep my front foot a lot flatter than other people,” Violet said, “and I keep more of my foot on the ground rather than the pedals, just so I have more stability.”
Growing into a multi-sport athlete
At 6’1, Violet plays as a forward for South’s basketball team, scoring 8.7 points per game last season. Her coach, Larry Winters, says she has the talent to play in college at an NCAA Division I school.
Violet says people underestimate her more in basketball than in track.
“A lot of people think that, because I have one arm, that I'm not going to be good at basketball,” she said. “But whereas with track, I have both my legs, they work fine. [People] can see all my results online. So, a lot of people have been like, ‘Oh my gosh, I saw your times, you're really fast. You're about to best me.’ I'm like, ‘I don't know.’ I try and be humble.”
Hall started competitive running in fourth grade on the St. Charles Catholic School track team. In high school, she has been a long jumper and high jumper as well as a sprinter.
“Nobody here thinks of her as someone with a disability that she's getting special attention for. She is quite literally one of the best athletes in the school,” said Bloomington South track coach Jay Rensink. “Coaching kids that have a ton of natural ability is super enjoyable. It's a challenge. How do we get kids to most fully express the natural ability that they have within whatever limitations they have?”
Rensink has been working with Hall since her freshman year. He says he has helped her learn to communicate how she’s feeling so they can adjust workouts accordingly.
Rensink has also seen Violet grow as a leader. She’s someone others look up to.
“She was probably a little bit more kind of on the introverted side of the scale, and now, socially, she's always got a smile on her face,” he said. “The younger kids come to her and look to her for guidance as to what we should be doing, whether it's in our jumps group or it's in our sprints group.”
Competing on a national level
Violet got into para-athletics after her coaches encouraged her to look at the finishing times that would make her competitive nationally.
“I thought, hey, my times are really close to that,” she said. “I can definitely reach those if I keep working at this.”
Winning the 200 meters at nationals did not guarantee Violet a spot on the world team. There's an 18-page document on the selection procedures.
Afterwards, she listened as someone called out the athletes that had made Team USA for the World Championships. Hall didn’t realize they were listing names in alphabetical order by first name.
“I was the very last name to be listed. And once they announced my name, I looked at my mom, I said, ‘Why they had to do that to me?,’” she said. “I got out in the hallway, and I just took a big sigh. I actually started tearing up. I was like, I can't be crying right now. There are so many, like, amazing athletes. I can't be crying in front of them. So, it felt a little bit embarrassing, but I knew that they were happy for me too.”
Since then, Hall has been practicing three times a week, working on block starts and sprint drills. In the next few weeks, she’ll build up to practicing five times a week and then taper off the last week before competing in India.
“We usually do some short, super fast, 100 percent [sprints], and then as you get longer, it's still 100 percent but a lot more rest in between,” she said.
Race strategy for the 200 is another consideration.
“We're working on learning when in her race to be fast versus when in her race requires her to think about being powerful, long and strong,” Coach Rensink said.
Her favorite event is the 200.
“In the 100, because my block starts aren't as sharp as other elite runners, it takes me a little bit longer to get up to top speed,” she said. “And so for the 200, a lot of people use the slingshot method. After you come out the turn, you just go as hard as you can. And I think that my stride length definitely helps contribute to my speed.”
Rensink stresses the importance of the right frame of mind.
“You have to trust what you've been doing and just let it happen,” he said. “The more you think about it, the slower you'll be, the more stressed you'll be. So, I think for her, the biggest thing is just going to be, ‘Hey, let go of whatever's in your head and just go be Violet Hall.’ And that's the best way for her to get the best performance while she's there.”
Family support
Hall said she’s thankful her parents have supported her, whether that be through helping pay for travel or being there for her at every race.
“It's really a big ask of them, just like, ‘Hey, I know you weren't planning on it, but let's fly out to Oregon in two weeks,’” she said. “So, it's definitely amazing that they just have provided me with these opportunities. A lot of the times they say, like, ‘Oh Violet, we wouldn't be able to go to these places if you didn't do sports.’ I'm like, ‘I wouldn't be able to do sports if you didn't take me.’ And so I'm just extremely grateful for them.”
Her mom said she is proud of Violet for taking initiative and finding these opportunities on her own. She didn’t imagine Violet would get so far so quickly.
“It all happened so fast because she found ways to do it, and she found the trainer and the games, and now she's just out there doing her thing,” Milet said. “I'm just so proud of everything that she does. So, it means a lot.”
After competing in India, Hall will run her last track season at BHSS and hopes to participate in national track and field meets next summer. Hall would like to run track in college, but doesn’t know where yet.
Her mom ultimately hopes she’ll keep doing what she loves.
“As long as she continues to love it and she continues to want to work for it, all I could hope for is for her to be happy and healthy.”
