Kam Johnson literally muscled her way into the Astoria High School Hall of Fame. Although she collected eleven letters in volleyball, basketball and track, it would be Johnson’s exploits in the shot put and discus rings across the state of Oregon that will forever etch her name into Oregon high school track and field record books.
Johnson opened her illustrious prep career as a freshman with the JV volleyball team. That would be her last season in a non-varsity uniform. She earned three letters while spiking and bumping with the volleyball teams.
Later in her freshman year, Johnson was quickly moved to the varsity basketball team and helped power the local girls hoop program to a 71-24 overall record during her four seasons. Astoria recorded marks of 15-9, 16-6, 18-5 and 22-4 with Johnson in the lineup.
Longtime Astoria track and field coach, Carl Dominey knew he would be in for an enjoyable four years when Johnson uncorked a pair of school records in the shot put and the discus in her first prep competition.
Three years later, Johnson had rewritten the AHS discuss record 14 times and the shot put record changed 16 times.
Johnson’s junior year saw her ranked as the top shotput underclassmen in the nation. She was second at the USA Junior Olympic Nationals in Knoxville, Tennessee. She also finished third in the country at the Junior Pan Am Games in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Prior to her final season, Astoria’s declining enrollment dropped it from the 4A classification to the 3A level. That year, the girl’s track team captured the 1981 state championship behind Johnson’s twin victories in the shot and discuss.
At the time of her induction into the hall of fame, Johnson was still in ownership of the 4A shot put all-time best throw. She once held the state shotput record in both the 4A and 3A divisions.
During both her junior and senior seasons, she was named All-American by numerous track publications.
Johnson also competed in a couple non-throwing events. She long jumped 14-7 ½ and ran a leg on the 400 meter relay that clocked a time of 51.7 seconds. As a junior she cruised to a 14.2 100 meters and was a part of a 51.3 second 400 meter relay squad.
Probably one of her most remarkable achievements came at the 1981 Cowapa League Championships and it didn’t involve either the shotput or the discuss. Johnson, who had not picked up a javelin since her freshman year, launched the spear 119-4 feet to capture top honors and set a school record.
After high school graduation, Johnson accepted a scholarship to Oregon State. She established school records in the shotput and the discus before she graduated.
Oregon State dropped its track program in the late 1980’s, thus leaving Johnson’s shotput (50-0 ½ feet) and discus (153-0 feet) on top of school records.