GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Transfer to Shelton ignited Henry's fire

Justin Johnson | Jul 20, 20230

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A senior-year transfer to Shelton High School sparked a resurgence for Olivia Henry's love of sports.

"All in all, I was really burned out my junior year on sports. I didn't have any coaching and Capital (High School) was very toxic and very what can you do for me, where at Shelton, they just want to build you as a person; they want to feed into your life; they don't care what you give them, they just want you to be your best and so that really helped spark my fire again and want to just play to have fun."

Despite just one season wearing the Red and Black, she made the most of it as a three-sport star for the Highclimbers.

After earning All-Mason County Team honors in volleyball, girls basketball and girls track and field, Henry is the Shelton-Mason County Journal's Girls Athlete of Year for the 2022-23 season.

"I played sports in Shelton in rec league, so I knew (fellow senior) Danyka Squire and she really helped welcome me into the volleyball team because I didn't know anyone," Henry said. "I played volleyball my freshman year at Capital, but I didn't play any other time, so I was a little nervous about coming back my senior year, but they were really welcoming, and they were all super kind to me. I was very nervous, but then after the first practice I wasn't any more."

Henry capped her high school career earning a spot on the podium with a sixth-place finish in the javelin at the 2A state track & field championships in May. Henry's throw of 108-feet, 3-inches on her first throw of the state meet was the longest throw of her career by over a foot and a half.

"Liv definitely stepped it up when it counted," Shelton track coach Doug Sells wrote in an email. "She showed tremendous focus at every big meet she was in."

Henry's two previous best throws prior to the state meet came at the prestigious 63rd Shelton Invitational on April 29 and at the 2A District IV championships on May 19, meaning her three best throws came during the biggest meets of the year against top-level competition.

"Javelin is so repetitive because it's just the same thing over and over again. You really have to concentrate on it. Like, you practice and have confidence in yourself. And when I was at those bigger meets, I was like, 'I'm good enough to be here, so show that I'm good enough to be here.' It just really gave me that inner confidence to just throw my best, trust all the practice I've put in and all of that. It just gave me confidence in myself to throw well."

Henry said that because neither Capital or Shelton had a javelin-specific coach, she spent time watching YouTube videos and watching Olympic throwers to learn technique.

"It's very hard to keep all of the pieces (of a throw) together because if one thing goes wrong, then it will just tweak it completely," Henry said. "You have to try and keep it as perfect as possible. It's pretty meticulous on how to make sure the steps go together and how to keep it straight."

Henry was also the leading scorer for Shelton's girls basketball team, averaging more than 10 points and four rebounds a game while splashing in 24 of the team's 75 3-pointers. The Climbers won nine games after finishing the previous season without a win.

"Liv is a great representation of our whole program this past season. Her skills and athletic abilities are enhanced by her passion for teammates and competition," Shelton girls basketball coach Chris Swanson wrote in a text message. "She consistently stepped up to meet the high expectations we set and never hung her head when we did come up short. Liv is a great athlete, fun to be around, and will be missed!"

Additionally, Henry was a season-long starter for Shelton's volleyball team where her fiery left-side attacks kept the Climbers in the mix all season.

"Liv is an inspiration and a great team player," Shelton volleyball coach Emily Gott wrote in a text message. "She has a positive attitude and always wants to better herself as an athlete. She is an asset to the team especially on the net."

In a time where sport specialization has become the norm, Henry said she grew up playing multiple sports, but admitted that basketball is probably her favorite sport to play.

"I really enjoy basketball because of the team aspect," Henry said. "It's just like, it's just quicker pace, you don't think as much as in track where it's really mental, and it's just kind of all on you. And so I really enjoy basketball a lot."

As a freshman, Henry played basketball at Capital High School with her older sister, Raegen, under former Shelton High coach Tiffany Twiddy, as the Cougars won the 3A South Sound Conference title.

"I've played basketball my whole life," Henry said. "My sister is in college playing basketball. I went to state my freshman year at Capital and I got to play varsity with her, and so that really helped expand my love for it.

"Our parents actually poured a concrete slab with a basketball court. We have a full basketball court at our house. And every summer we go out and play. I have three other siblings. We play two-on-two basketball every day, and we just go against each other and my cousin, Gabriel Conklin, who's at the high school right now, we'd go to his house and we'd play with him and Mason Goos. We'd all play against each other every summer ... we just grew up playing against each other. It did get competitive sometimes, but it just all made us all better."

Henry said she grew up playing volleyball with her best friend, but felt like Capital's program was toxic after her freshman year and didn't play again until transferring to Shelton.

Likewise, her path to track came from friends who were pole vaulters. They invited her to start going in sixth grade and she fell in love with competing in track.

"When I was really little, probably like kindergarten, (my parents) put us in rec league basketball and rec league softball," Henry said. "I've just kind of been around it my whole life. My brothers both play football and baseball and track and all that. It's just kind of like in our family, we just all do sports to keep busy and doing something. It's just kind of been like the culture I grew up in."

Henry said she almost gave up basketball after her last season at Capital, but coming to Shelton and knowing girls basketball coach Chris Swanson, who took over the team this year, from summer league basketball helped change her mind.

"Coming in and seeing Chris on the first day and how welcoming he was," Henry said. "He gave me a lot of playing time, he encouraged me and helped me with some of my mental aspects that I was going through at that time. We almost beat Tumwater in our first league game, which is unheard of because they beat them by like 70 last year, and just being able to see the progress the team has made. We almost made it to the playoffs this year. After not winning a game for a few years and then almost going to playoffs this year, it was just it was a great experience to be a part of."

Henry received a one-year medical assistant program scholarship from Mason Health after graduating from Shelton High School's Heath Sciences Academy, but she hopes to continue her athletic career once she goes to school to become a nurse's assistant.

"I think I'm going to walk-on at whatever school I go to for track," Henry said. "I just want to try and walk on at a school and see how that goes. Because I'm not quite done. I want to keep playing, but this opportunity was so good. And it was going to pay for a lot of my school, so I couldn't pass it up."