Specifically, his background in one of the decathlon's 10 events --- the javelin.
"In the islands, we throw a lot of rocks," Felix said. "It just sort of came natural."
And in the end, it just sort of made him a national champion.
Felix, who led after the first five events on Wednesday, held on to win the men's decathlon title on Thursday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Having dropped into third place on Thursday with two events remaining --- the javelin and 1,500-meter run --- Felix won the javelin competition, vaulting back into first place with an effort of 227'-6.00." Only two other decathletes --- Romain Martin of Texas-Arlington (210'-6.00") and Oregon's Dakotah Keys (201'-4.00") surpassed 200 feet.
Felix, who finished with a MW record 8,062 points to fend off the second-place Martin by 106 points, placed 13th in the decathlon at the 2010 national meet. He entered the meet ranked fourth in the country (7,972 points), 95 points behind leader Isaac Murphy of Texas. In the two-day competition at Drake Stadium, Felix bested the seventh-place Murphy by 244 points.
Said Felix: "It was my last NCAA competition, so it feels really good."
Meanwhile, TCU senior Whitney Gipson turned in the second-best mark in MW history to win the national title in the women's long jump.
Gipson, who was recently tabbed the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Association's South Central Region Athlete of the Year, posted the winning mark of 22'-4.25" on her second attempt of the day. Southern Mississippi senior Tori Bowie was second at 21'-10.25."
A five-time All-American and the reigning NCAA indoor champion, Gipson won the long jump at this year's MW Championship for a second straight time, becoming only the fourth student-athlete in league history to win back-to-back championships.
In other news from Day 2 of the NCAA Track and Field Championships:
San Diego State sophomore Allison Reaser sits in ninth place in the women's heptathlon after totaling a first-day personal-best 3,386 points. Reaser's point total is her highest ever after the first day, bettering the 3,355 points she earned en route to winning the event at last month's MW Championships. With three events remaining on Friday, three athletes are less than a 100 points ahead of Reaser, who opened the day by posting the second-fastest time of her career in the 100-meter hurdles (13.77). Reaser set a personal record with an effort of 5'-4.25" in the high jump and turned in her second-best effort of the outdoor season with a mark of 38'-5.00" in the shot put. She also posted her second-fasted time of the season in the 200-meter dash (24.20).
Air Force senior Jim Walmsley advanced to Saturday's finals of the men's 3,000-meter Steeplechase by posting a career-best time of 8:41.05 in Thursday's prelims. Walmsley shaved 10 seconds off of his previous best time to place seventh overall in the field of 24. His mark was the third-fastest in Air Force history.
UNLV senior Amanda Bingson, the MW all-time leader in the women's hammer throw, finished third to earn All-American honors in the finals of the event on Thursday. Bingson, who fouled on her first two throws, advanced with an effort of 219'-8.00" on her third attempt in the opening round. It was the best effort of the day for Bingson, who finished fourth at the national meet a year ago.
New Mexico senior Sarah Waldron, the MW and school record holder in the women's 10,000 meters, earned All-American honors by finishing sixth in the finals of the event on Thursday. Waldron posted a time of 32:58.84.
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its 10 member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
Mark Knudson is a Colorado State journalism school graduate and a 12-year veteran of professional baseball. During his playing career, Mark pitched for three major league teams, including the Colorado Rockies, where he was the first Colorado native to play for the hometown team. He recorded wins over three of the four legendary pitchers who make up the 4,000 strikeout club: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. His win over Ryan came for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day in 1991.
The most common fashion mistakes? Where to start! We see numerous ones every day; and, unfortunately,leisure2013.getfreehosting.co.uk, we may ourselves be guilty of some of them. Don't feel bad, just be aware that it's necessary to look in the mirror before you take a step out of the house, while you can still change your clothes.
Below are some of the most common fashion mistakes:
Dressing out of your age group
This isn't to say you can't wear some of the latest fashions; but let's face it, no one wants to see someone near retirement age with a mini on that reveals legs with veins that look like a road map. When is it time to stop raiding the teenage shops at the mall? You have to use common sense. Just try some items on, and if you're not sure if you can get away with them, you probably can't.
Poor fitting garments
This is one of the most common mistakes people make. Every day, we see someone just about bursting out of their clothes and wonder whether it's a vanity thing (they refuse to go up a size or two,) or if they grew out of their clothes and don't have the money to buy new ones. Or could it be that they are deluding themselves into believing they still fit?
Cheap fabrics that look cheap
It is far better to have fewer clothes than to buy a lot of cheap items that look cheap and won't hold up in the long run. There's not a lot more to be said on this subject.
Garish colors, prints, etc.
What looked good on the hanger doesn't always look good once you put it on. Give your family, coworkers, friends, and strangers a break. Leave that dress with the screaming colors and large print at the store. Buy something a little more conservative so you don't damage people's eyes.
Too much jewelry
Jewelry is a funny thing. You can have some marvelous pieces, either real or fake, and they look terrific by themselves; but when you try to wear all of them together, it just doesn't work. Earrings, a ring or two, a watch, and maybe a chain or necklace is enough. Big jangly bracelets are noisy and make people irritable, especially at work when they are trying to concentrate.
Shoes that don't go with the outfit
This doesn't mean if you are wearing a bright pink dress you have to have the same colored shoes to match. It refers to wearing a sleeveless summer dress with a pair of Ugg boots. There are lots of other faux pas concerning footwear, but you surely get the picture.
If you see yourself in any of the above, don't despair. They are all correctable mistakes. Just be sure to look in the mirror before you leave the house each day to make sure you won't be taken down by the fashion police.
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