On Saturday, I began training in the shot put at Fresno State's Warmerdam Field for a meet next month at Stanford. I have been putting off the actual competition because I'm not hitting the marks to be competitive. But decided to just jump in. So I'll be at a seniors meet at Stanford.
I met Tom Marsella for the day's workout. Tom is the guy who last year talked me into competing in seniors track and field. He's done very well in the competition over the past several years. It was a beautiful morning, and the field was mostly empty.
We had the good fortune to run into Bob Fraley, the former head track coach at Fresno State. Bob, always the teacher, began giving us tips on the shot put and discus. Bob even ran home to get some reading material for us.
When he came back, he said every track "thrower" needs a stick of chalk during training. Then he took his chalk and marked a big "L" and "R" in the shot put ring and told us to put our feet on the marks and work on our technique.
When you throw the shot, Bob said, you push it right through a 7-foot-11 guy standing in front of you. I'm starting to get the hang of it, and I'm improving my distance some, although still not in the range I want to be. I'm even thinking about throwing the discus. I bought a beginner's discus and I'm trying to perfect the spin coming off my hand. . . It seems I'm throwing a "wounded duck."
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It's apparent that Coach Fraley truly has a love for sports and teaching sports. For him to share his knowledge, free of charge, is quite cool. What a gift he is to your community.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a noble endeavor on your part. We all need goals to strive towards. It keeps life interesting. Just remember, you are doing this to have fun, not to increase the stress in your life. So, go HAVE FUN.
Well... how did it go at Stanford?
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