NOTE: On October 4th, the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame will enshrine four new members as the Class of 2025 during their annual Induction Banquet that will be held in the Family Life Center of the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro. Over the last couple of weeks, the Jackson Parish Journal has celebrated their legacy with a special feature on each. Today’s Edition: Amanda Barham

William Shakespeare is credited with the saying, “A jack of all trades is a master of none”. He never knew Amanda Barham. When it came to sports, she was a master in virtually everything she competed in. 

And she competed in everything that Quitman High School had to offer, basketball, softball, and both running and field track events, leading the Lady Wolverines sports program during her high school years to one of their greatest periods of success up to that time. 

Team-wise, by the time she graduated in 1995, Barham had led the girls’ softball team to a district championship and the girls’ track team to three straight district titles and the school’s first-ever girls track and field state championship. 

Individually, her accolades put her in a rare class indeed as being the only female athlete in Jackson Parish history to be twice named as a first team All-State selection in Softball and again in Track and Field, both coming in 1994 and 1995.

Barham is also the only person in Jackson Parish history, male or female, to win a state title for three years in a row in the discus event (1993-95) and for two years straight, claiming titles in the discus and javelin (1994-95). 

To make the incredible feat even more impressive, this was done while both track and softball seasons were going on AT THE SAME TIME. Can you imagine running in a track meet where you threw the javelin and discus in the hot sun all afternoon, and then hurrying back to play softball that evening? Oh, and by the way, winning both events in track and field and starring on the diamond for the Lady Wolverines. 

Barham left Quitman as the school’s all-time home run leader, RBI leader, and batting average leader on the softball team. She left QHS as the Class B state record holder in both the discus and javelin, as well as holding the best mark in the discus in Jackson Parish for 22 years. 

What was Barham’s secret for being so great in so many things? 

In softball, it is kind of understandable. Barham was afforded the opportunity to first play the game at the tender age of 7 years old while living in Natchitoches and learned pretty quickly that she had some serious skills.  

“I was blessed in that playing softball came naturally to me,” said Barham. “And it was just in me that the more success I had, the more I wanted to do even better.” 

But in track? Quitman High School didn’t even have a track on campus then. How in the world did Barham develop into the best discus and javelin thrower in the state?

What Quitman did have in those days was one of the top cross-country programs in the state, regardless of classification, under the guidance of LHSAA Hall of Fame coach Frank Trammel, but that involved running long distances. 

“I wasn’t into running long distances,” laughed Barham. “That was not my cup of tea at all.” 

Barham recalls how she got involved with track and field.

“Coach Trammel came up to me one day and said I have seen you play softball, and you throw the ball really well,” recalled Barham. “I think you could probably do pretty well with a discus, too. I didn’t even know what a discus was, but I thought that might be pretty cool to try it.” 

The only problem was that Coach Trammel was a running expert, meaning she was basically on her own when it came to training and instruction. As it turned out, though she found help at home as  her father Steve had competed in the sport during his “days in the sun.” 

“He was a big help as he knew what I was supposed to do, like the right way to approach, and how to position myself,” said Barham. “He even built me a discus ring in the backyard so I had a place to practice. At school, the track team practiced in the parking lot, and there wasn’t really any place to throw.”

The desire to be the best in softball quickly transferred to her budding discus career, even more so in a way, as this event was more of an individual one. 
“I knew that when throwing the discus, it was all on me,” said Barham. “There was no one else to depend on but me. If I didn’t do well, it was nobody’s fault but my own, so that made me dig even deeper to do better each time.” 

The next year, Javelin became a competitive female sport in girls’ track and field, and as it involved throwing, it was naturally another avenue that she wanted to pursue. 

Even though she basically had to learn all the aspects of throwing the “spear”, on her own, the results were basically the same as Barham won the state in Class B in the Javelin in 1994 and finished as runner-up in 1995. 

When reflecting back on all the time she put into her “trades,” which eventually led her to continue her track and field career at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, she is quick to give credit to her parents, Steve and Gail Barham. 

“I was blessed to have parents who supported me in every way, from my Mom driving me to practice and events to my Dad spending hours and hours in the backyard practicing with me.” 

Barham also gives Coach Trammel and her teammates credit for helping make all the long hours fun. 

“Coach Trammel was such a great motivator,” reflected Barham. ” And I loved being with my teammates during practices, games, and events. We had a lot of fun, and I still remember those days.”

When asked about what it meant to her to be inducted into the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame, Barham was quick to say that she never imagined that this would happen and that she was honored and humbled to be selected. She also said that she probably would be a little uncomfortable with all the attention that she would get during the ceremony. 

“I never was one that liked being in the spotlight,” laughed Barham. “I always kind of liked staying in the background.” 

The guess here is that just like she has done with all her other endeavors, she will master this as well.

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