National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Last fall, as a trio of newcomers was welcomed into our NSAF Project Triple Jump program, they were called “The Next Generation.”

The same can be said, even more profoundly, of the newest Project Javelin Gold members as the 2015-16 season has begun.

That’s because there will be a dramatic turnover next summer when Javelin Gold’s FIVE outstanding senior throwers move on to the next level.  Never before with one of the Projects, in their five-year existence, have there been so many seniors bringing so much experience to the table.  Hence, these four student-athletes introduced below (and the newcomers that will replace the graduating quintet a year from now) will truly be a “next generation” – and suddenly, in October, 2016, Project Javelin will be very young again.

At this point, however, this is the foursome that has joined our upperclassmen in the past few months, and who just went through their first full weekend clinic, Sept. 24-27, in East Stroudsburg:  Roman Mitchell, Meghan Owens, Morgan Bower and Liam Christensen.  Liam and Morgan actually joined us during the summer, participating in our Chula Vista clinic, Chicagoland Throws (Morgan) and the American JavFest (both), while Roman and Meghan were with us for the first time.

The addition of Liam to the Project came about very quickly and unexpectedly.  This past June at the World Youth Trials, he kept improving during his series and wound up with a winning 224-4 (with the lighter 700g jav), prevailing by more than 20 feet.  So impressive was the performance, and so great the potential for this then-sophomore, that he was invited to join the Project on the spot.  Of course, he had some other impressive credentials, too (see below).

On the other hand, Morgan became part of the program based primarily on potential … that type of potential it takes a wise coach to identify.  “In any evaluation, there’s always a bit of speculation,” says Project Javelin Gold Coach Jeff Gorski, “and with something as difficult and variable as the javelin is, it can be a real gamble.  But there are things you can see, if you have some experience, which can help stack the odds in your favor.  As you have seen and heard from world class athletes (and now world class coaches) Kimmo Kinnunen and Tom Pukstys, rhythm and running/runway ability are huge factors in throwing far.

“I’ve seen plenty of powerful “throwers” who can reach moderate performance levels by having a “cannon” for an arm, but struggle mightily in adding a runup into the throwing action.  Right now, both Morgan and Roman have runway skills that exceed their throwing ability.  Throwing skills are much easier to master, and incorporate into good runway skills, than the reverse can be.”

Speaking of Roman … like Meghan and Liam, he is a talent that might often get overlooked in a state that does not contest javelin at the interscholastic level.  Roman, however, benefited from the fact that his mother, Natalie, threw in high school in New Jersey (in her school’s Hall of Fame), and his older brother, Ethan (Class of 2013) threw at the club level in HS and now at Winthrop University.  Between having met Coach Gorski and winning the first Junior HS Javelin at NBNO this past June, his talent was recognized and an invitation was extended.

As for Meghan, she was more in the “sight unseen, but numbers speak for themselves” category.  No other 8th-grader in the country has thrown nearly as well, and her results showed both consistency and the ability to perform exceptionally in big meets (see below).

Below are some of the athletes' own words about their experiences with the javelin so far (mostly from interviews at the East Stroudsburg clinic):
 

(name, HS (hometown)/club (if any), class)

Roman Mitchell, Southeast Raleigh HS (Garner, NC)/Team Powerhouse, Class of 2018

When the NSAF held its first-ever Junior High javelin at NBNO this past June, using Olympian Duncan Atwood’s FinnFlyer javelin (450g), one thrower stood out with what he was able to do with the implement.  Roman Mitchell threw the implement 193-1, strongly catching the notice of Coach Jeff Gorski.  The next day, the coach and athlete connected and not long after that, Roman became one of the newest athletes in the program.

Roman – who just turned 15 a few weeks ago – already had a PR of more than 150 feet from early in the summer following this past freshman year of his, but improved it to 164-7 in taking 5th in the 15-16 javelin at USATF JOs.  He showed at the recent clinic that his potential is well beyond that for his upcoming sophomore season in 2016 and that he has the ability to do big things, long-term.

On his experience at the September clinic:  “It’s truly amazing, because I’ve never really been in anything like this, ever before.  All of the coaches are amazing; the athletes -- all of my friends -- are just great to practice with and compete with.  I’ve really learned a lot from just this weekend and I know there’s much more to come.”

On what it’s like being around others with the same passion for the javelin:  “It’s really great; it’s really nothing I’m used to because in North Carolina, there’s really not much competition at all.  So being around so many kids from around the country, who love the same thing I love, is just great.”

On what got him into throwing the javelin:  “Well, my mom was in the (Lenape HS, NJ) Hall of Fame for javelin, in track, and my older brother (Ethan) has done javelin, too.  He’s 5 years older than me, so I just followed in his footsteps ... I just picked up the javelin and was just messing around ... I found out I really had a natural feel for it and was good at it ... so that’s why I’m here.”

On when and how he first encountered Coach Gorski:  “It was at NBNO and I threw the Finn Flyer ... and after the competition day, on Sunday, he was having a clinic and I was there.  He was giving everyone a brief view on the javelin, in all its aspects, and he was talking about a thrower who threw 193 ... and I just raised my hand because he was talking about me.  Then I got all of his contact information, and that’s sort of where it began.”

On his reaction on being chosen for Project Javelin:  “I was really excited, because I’ve never really had a coach besides my mom and my brother, so I was just really, really blessed and grateful for it.”

Coach Jeff Gorski on Roman:  “We’ve had 3-4 sessions since NBNO and, when he’s “clicking,” he’s dropped some mid-180ft/55m throws in our workouts.  He can run and jump very well, has a “live” arm and big passion for the event – as does Morgan.  His physical ability is well beyond most kids his age, and sometimes he tries to throw the damn thing to Mars – he lacks the patience needed to connect all the movements into a big throw consistently.  Again, he needs lots of correct reps.  There are athletes 10-15 years older than he is who show the same problem!!”
 

Meghan Owens, Mercer County HS (Harrodsburg, KY)/Maximum Velocity, Class of 2019

Before the summer of 2014, Meghan Owens was mainly a softball player who had thrown some turbo jav, among other T&F events, for fun in the summer.  But at the Bluegrass State Games that July, she picked up the regulation jav for the first time and threw it 90 feet, breaking the meet record for 13-14 year-olds by 30 feet.  By April of this year, she was up to 132 feet – even though it’s not a high school event in Kentucky.

By the summer, she was consistently in the 130s and better, winning the Emerging Elite division at NBNO, then hitting her PR of 144-0 to win USATF JOs (13-14).  She went nearly as far in making it a Junior Olympic national sweep at AAUs the following week.  She had an amazing string of victories for the season, losing only to a single college thrower back in that April meet.

On her experience at the September clinic:  “I love it.  I’ve become friends and have gotten along with all of the other Project Javelin Gold kids ... and the coaches are great; they teach very well.  It’s been a really good experience.”

On what it’s like being around others with the same passion for the javelin:  “It’s been really cool, because not many people back where I live, and in my school, know what it is. It’s been pretty cool to be around people who get what I do.”

On what got her into throwing the javelin:  “My mom has a track and field camp at her college (Lisa H. Owens is the Centre College head coach) ... and after the camp, there’s always a (Bluegrass) State Games that they hold there.  Every year, my mom signs me up for different events so I can try and win medals ... When I was 13, I couldn’t throw turbo jav any more, so she signed me up for the javelin ... and I’d never thrown it before.  So about 30 minutes before I threw, my dad came and worked with me for a couple minutes.  And I went out and threw 90 feet and broke the old (13-14 meet) record by 30 feet.  So my mom and dad started looking into it more ... I’d also played softball for 5 years.”

On specific technical things she learned this weekend:  “I’ve learned I need to use my lower body more, because I use my upper body too much ... and that I need to turn more in my throw, because I’m too open when I approach.  And I need to keep my javelin tip down.”

Coach Tom Pukstys on Meghan:  “Meghan has a huge upside.  She has a great arm and her work ethic is excellent.  Her leg work needs improvement and she was able to make that happen with some coaching, so I feel like she will be doing great this coming spring.  I suspect she will throw many personal bests.”
 

Morgan Bower, Millville HS (Millville, PA), Class of 2017

Looking at Morgan Bower, you might think “soccer player” (her first love), or, if you were thinking about track and field, perhaps distance runner, or even sprinter – but probably not javelin thrower.  Indeed, Coach Jeff Gorski says she’s “an absolute gazelle, moving” … and that’s the first ingredient that she’s built off of in becoming a javelin thrower – the implement she picked up in 2014 and embraced.

Morgan didn’t have the scintillating Youth T&F or early high school creds coming in, but, as Coach Gorski said, in her first workout late this spring with him, her throws ranged “wildly” from under 100 feet to over 135 feet.  “She knew how to build power in her run and had a feel for progressive acceleration and relaxed rhythm,” he added.  “We started to see more consistent efforts when the run was shortened and she threw off 3-4 “gallops”/crossovers and began to feel the positions that created the throw.”  Morgan’s official PR is still 110 feet, but after watching her at September’s clinic, it’s clear she can soon go 20-30 feet or more beyond that.

On what got her into throwing the javelin:  “Well, actually my family and I have really been into soccer my whole life since I was tiny ... and I was doing track at the time (this past spring) and I needed another event; I wanted something different that my sisters weren’t going to do if I did it ... so I needed something and I just picked it up.  I thought it would be fun to do.  I wasn’t really expecting anything like this, but it’s awesome.”

On when and how she first encountered Coach Gorski:  “My coach is from a school around mine, and he knew my dad, and he always wanted to get us into javelin -- but I was the only one who actually wanted to do it.  So he knew Jeff and talked with him and got the practice in with him, so he knew what I looked like and he could help me to throw it ... it was a month or two months before we went to Chula Vista.”

On making progress in recent months and whether she feels ready for a breakthrough:  “My coach and I have been working really hard, working on everything that Jeff and Tom told us to do ... and especially at these camps and having Kimmo here, they helped so much ... especially with things I didn’t know; they teach so easily.  I’m getting there, but I have a lot to learn and it takes time.”

On specific technical things she learned this weekend:  “I would say mostly just sticking my block and keeping my chest up, just because that’s what I had trouble with the most and they really worked on that with me, so it’s getting better.”

Coach Jeff Gorski on Morgan:  “When I saw her this weekend, about 7-8 weeks after our 1st session, it was very clear she and her coach, Bing Purcell, had taken my advice and spent a lot of time on standing and 2-3 step throws to groove a pattern of “slinging” the javelin to get throwing reps.  She looked like a different person!!  It will still take some time: she must progressively (and over some months) learn to incorporate more speed into the throw so positions are still good and can channel more of the run up power, but what I’ve seen in improvement in 2 months bodes well for the future.”
 

Liam Christensen, Academic Magnet (Mt. Pleasant, SC)/Mt. Pleasant TC, Class of 2017

Not many folks were familiar with Liam Christensen before he won the World Youth Trials back on the first of July, but the fact is that he had a tremendous summer in the event after his freshman year, hitting 198-8 in the Carolina Challenge in Myrtle Beach, then winning USATF JOs (15-16) with a throw over 189 feet.  Some might have raised their eyebrows, impressed when they saw 192-1 for 5th in this June’s NBNO, but Liam at that point was still chasing his frosh year PR.

He had never thrown the 700g jav before the Trials, but by the end of his series he had a 224-4 monster.  Of course, what he has done since has been well-documented, just missing the World Youth final with his 238-2 in Cali, then his super series in East Strouds a scant week-plus later as he topped out at 209-5 (back to HS implement) for 2nd behind NBNO champ Michael Biddle.  Pretty good for a sophomore! 

On what got him into throwing the javelin (from World Youth Trials interview):  “None of the high schools where we are throw it ... well (first of all), I really just picked up track when I was 12 because my brother was doing it.  Then I saw somebody throwing around a spear and we didn’t have a coach for it.  Picked it up a year later and this guy came in -- his name is Michael Foreman, he’s my coach -- and he didn’t know anything about it, either, but we both started learning together and he’s coached me ever since.”

On how he felt about his performance at JavFest (from JavFest interview):  “It was great, I mean I just did my best and put it all out there.  I was really happy with the consistency, that I knew that I had more than just one big throw in me.  It was comforting to know that I could do that ... I haven’t thrown like that (60 meters) in a long, long time.”

How he’s enjoyed the JavFest weekend:  “It’s been really great; it’s been really wild hanging out with all of these amazing throwers.  Everybody here is really, really good.  You have Duncan (Atwood) and you have Jeff and Tom, who are amazing at the sport and really passionate about it.  It’s a really nice change, because you just don’t have that everywhere.”

Coach Tom Pukstys on Liam:  “Last summer, watching Liam compete at JavFest, it became obvious he has tremendous competitive skills.  He was able to throw personal bests when he most needed them.  He has to polish up his technique and he will surely put forth the effort to do so.  He will be one of the national leaders in the javelin next season.”