Princess Joy Griffey
"I want to be the fastest Filipina ever."
Born in 1987 in Bacolod City, Philippines, Princess Joy Griffey was born to run and run fast. One could say running is in her blood: her mother ran track for the Philippines' national team. Not surprisingly, one of her goals is to follow in her mother's footsteps by sprinting for the same country. Only this time, she wants to carry the legacy to a higher peak. This peak leads Princess Joy to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. On her way to this prestigious event, Griffey hopes to break the Philippines' national record for the 100m and 200m dash. Her personal best of 11.58 seconds in the 100 meters is not too far off from the 11.26 record. Princess Joy has the talent and genes to become the fastest woman the Philippines has ever produced. Growing up in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington, she gradually built her fame in the high school level and proved that she could compete with the best in the competitive PAC-12(10) Conference.
Griffey's talent began to be noticed at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington, where, in her sophomore year, she placed fourth in the 100m dash and third in the 200m dash at the 2004 Junior Olympics. That same year, she won the 100m dash and placed second in the 200m dash at the Washington State Championship meet. She won the 100m race again the next year, and to this day holds the state sophomore and junior records for both distances.
Although Griffey has seen much success, her track career has not always gone smoothly. During her senior year in high school, she suffered a severe hamstring injury and battled a life-threatening illness prior to the state meet. This limited her participation in preparatory races and eventually took her out for the rest of the season. Setbacks like these may have crushed the fighting spirits of lesser competitors, but not Griffey's. Nothing has dampened her passion for the sport.
Following high school, she moved on to Washington State University (WSU) as a star track prospect. Entering her freshman year, even while struggling with her hamstring injury and much-increased expectations, she opened her season by setting the school's freshman school record in the indoor 60m dash. Throughout the spring, she continued to drop her time, becoming the team's third fastest 60m sprinter ever. During the outdoor season, her peak for the 200m came with a 24.13, placing her as the 10th best 200m sprinter in school history.
Griffey's junior year brought two personal records. She ran her indoor best time of 24.33 for the 200m dash and her outdoor best 100m time of 11.58 at the Pac-10 Championships. This 100m time was the second-fastest non-wind-aided time in WSU history.
After college, Griffey won the 2011 Philippine National Games in the 200m with a time of 25.2. Unfortunately, the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) coaches did not select her for the team although she had a faster time than the one selected. This disappointment did not keep Griffey from the track; in fact, it gave her a reason to push herself harder and prove her worth.
In 2014, she prepared for another attempt at qualifying for the national team with season bests of 7.54 in the 60m, 11.62 in the 100m, and 23.93 for the 200m. The last time of 23.93 came at the University of Washington on April 12, 2014! Remarkably, this is Griffey's all-time best in the 200m, and the spring season is only just beginning.
As Princess' friend, I wanted to write this biography because I have seen her perform and witnessed her abilities on the track, and I want to see her succeed. Watching Princess run keeps me on the edge of my seat- more accurately, it gets me on my feet. Even after being away from running for two years, the reactions she gets from the those in the stands are of surprise and awe. At nearly every meet, she is meters ahead of her competitors. I've seen what countless others have marveled at: her raw ability, honed with years of running experience. She rises to challenges with a unique perspective characterized by a positive attitude, meeting every obstacle with perseverance and determination. It's no surprise to me that she now wants to take on this next challenge of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Before this, she plans to run in meets with high-quality competition to aid her in breaking her personal best times, and, beyond that, breaking national records. Over the next two years, she will be competing in the 2014 Asian Games and the 2015 Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games). She has already qualified for the latter meet.
All these achievable goals come with extensive expenses, including international travel and travel to local meets. One of the ways you can help her to qualify for the Olympics is by sponsoring her. This will make a huge difference in her effort, as she is a volunteer track coach at Decatur High School and works full-time, yet still struggles to cover her travel costs and to find time for training. To those of you who have donated, thank you on behalf of Princess Joy Griffey and thank you for helping her on her way to making history in the Philippines.