For Tuesdays with Toyota, we are spotlighting some of USATF's most dedicated members with a short feature on USATF.org and our social media channels. Here is our feature with USATF athlete Erin Inan, a proud member of USATF out of Marietta, GA. Why are you a member of USATF? Originally, I joined USATF as an athlete, but now I am affiliated as a youth coach. My reasons have thus evolved over the years from trying to reach my personal goals in my event to helping spread the joy of the sport to young people. What is your "why"? As a young athlete, I was motivated by my performances and striving to reach the heights of what my body could do. As I’ve grown older, I am motivated by sharing what I know with young athletes, especially my own two kids. There is no greater athletic pleasure for me than going out to practice every day not just as a coach helping my athletes, but as a mom enjoying quality time with my kids. What is something that helps you focus while you train? I often tell people that track and field is the original sport. To run fast, throw far, and jump high and far are the basic elements of every other sport. There is a purity in the track and field events that cannot be found in other sports. I think that is what draws me the most. Track is about achieving your personal best and competing against yourself as much as any other person in the field. In college I studied the ancient Olympics and learned to appreciate the ancient people’s view of the games as a competition and an aesthetic. When we focus on the beauty and simplicity of the events, and improving incrementally over what we did yesterday, we achieve the most. How has USATF impacted you? I can say with no exaggeration that USATF saved my life. Learning the javelin propelled me from a kid living below the poverty line to a Division I athlete at Stanford University. There is perhaps no other organization that has had such a lengthy impact on my life than USATF. From joining as a 9th grader to renewing my membership at 40 years old, USATF continues to positively impact my opportunities, my performance, and my health. Being a member in high school put me in touch with college coaches and eventually got me into Stanford. Now, as a member youth coach, I have the opportunity to share my love of the sport and knowledge with my community, fostering friendships and spending time with my kids that I’ll never forget. Outside USATF how do you spend your time? I am a full-time mom who loves to cook and travel with my family. I am blessed to be able to do a lot of community work like volunteering in local charities, with the track team, and being president of my kid’s school foundation. My husband (also a USATF member and 3-time collegiate all-American in the discus throw) and I recently learned to play tennis and now play mixed doubles very competitively together. What is your favorite USATF memory? My favorite USATF memory has to be last summer, when my son threw a PR on his final throw of the season to win gold at the USATF Junior Olympics in Sacramento. All the joys I ever had while competing myself can’t measure up to the pride I felt watching him harness the months of training and get rewarded with a big throw to win a medal. I also reveled in the comfort of knowing the lessons he learned throughout the season with both successes and failures would stay with him into adulthood. Is there an athlete or person who inspired you to join the sport? I think the most special thing about my experience with track is that while it is an individual sport, there is a sense of community that binds us all. When an athlete performs well, he or she is congratulated not just by his or her own coaches, parents, and fans, but the entire body of USATF. Rarely does an athlete win a competition without her fellow athletes shaking her hand. If a meet record in any event is broken, all the fans go crazy. Even when an athlete celebrates a personal PR, I’ve seen time and again congratulations offered from competing athletes, coaches, and parents. So, I would have to say I am inspired by the community, more than one single person.