Tsai, a Homestead junior, and Bushnell, a Fremont senior, both started the track and field season late after playing vital roles on basketball teams that competed in the Central Coast Section playoffs. Both had to transition from throwing their weight around and blocking out opponents on the basketball court to throwing the shot put and discus and blocking out every distraction from their minds during their spring sport.

Both won discus championships at the El Camino Division and Santa Clara Valley Athletic League meets before winning second-place medals at the CCS meet and earning berths to the state meet. All the while, Tsai and Bushnell also competed in the shot put. Tsai placed fifth among boys at CCS and Bushnell eighth among girls, neither qualifying for state.

So, on June 3 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, Tsai and Bushnell found themselves in a strange situation. For the first time all season, they each only had to deal with one event.

Up against some of California's strongest athletes, neither posted a personal record and neither finished in the top nine. One, two, three throws--they were out of the competition, neither qualifying for Saturday's final round.

Tsai, the first Homestead thrower in 30 years to reach the state meet, was up against rugged competition. The ninth best competitor hurled the platter one inch beyond 172 feet, nearly 13 feet farther than Tsai's season best effort of 159-4. On Friday, Tsai's best legal effort was 149-3, and he finished 20th out of 25 contestants.

Bushnell, who had won the CCS championship as a junior in 2004 with a personal record of 130-7, never reached the 130 mark this season. Last Friday only one of her three throws was legal, 120-3 and good enough for 16th place out of 22 contenders.

"Not quite what I had hoped," Bushnell said afterward, "but going to the state meet really was just icing on the cake. "Although I struggled early on in the season with the transition from basketball to track, competing at the state meet again was a great way to end my high school track career."

Although she plans on attending UC-San Diego, one of the first schools to contact her regarding track and field, Bushnell has decided not to pursue intercollegiate athletics.

"I've decided to focus solely on academics and just compete in intramural athletics and such for fun," Bushnell explained.

While Bushnell prepares for college in San Diego, Tsai finds himself in a quite similar situation as Bushnell was in last summer. Although he is the section's highest ranked discus thrower returning, his athletic attention will be on improving basketball skills for his senior season.