National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Photos by Joy Kamani (Rivera action), Steve Underwood (Rivera from interview) and submitted by Kirk Hill (Grayson Hill).

Previous 2013-14 stories:  Javelinists return to Chapel Hill | Reflections and takeaways from October Clinic | Fall Clinic #1 - All the photos and video interviews! | 2013-14 Kultan Keihas starts this weekend | Montgomery, Fitzgerald join Bulger as Project newcomers | Kultan Keihas: Looking back ... and looking ahead

Kultan Keihas Project Javelin is much more than a program supporting the nation’s elite young javelin throwers.  It’s also about recognizing developing throwers who use the tools to make surprising, dramatic improvements and about recognizing young athletes who have clear potential for great success a few years down the road.

Just ask Sophia Rivera and Grayson Hill.

These “walk-on” student-athletes so impressed the coaches and National Scholastic Athletics Foundation staff at the project’s second seasonal clinic in Chapel Hill, this past Dec. 27-30, that they were invited to join the full, year-round program – which includes the summer trip to Finland, the epicenter of global javelin throwing.

Indeed, the wildly successful December clinic saw a big increase in participants, outstanding showings by many of the “veteran” athletes, and the mentorship for the first time this season of Finnish national junior coach Kimmo Kinnunen and retired U.S.A. jav great and coach Tom Pukstys (2-time Olympian and 7-time top-ranked American) – joining Kultan Keihas founder Jeff Gorski and his active Olympic hopeful protege Barry Krammes.

The most exhilarating story of the weekend, however, may have been the progress of Rivera and Hill. 

Sophia Rivera, a 15-year-old sophomore at Brentwood (St. Louis, Mo.) HS, was a 117-footer in 2013.  The javelin has not yet been an official HS event in Missouri, so she had been throwing mostly in the summer while contributing to her team in other events during the season (Class 2 state shot and discus champ).  She first came to the October camp, tall and fairly athletic-looking, but also seeming somewhat reserved and hesitant. 

When she arrived in Chapel Hill the weekend after Christmas, it was quickly apparent that Sophia had become stronger, fitter and had taken to heart the training program during the two months in-between.  Still, coaches Kinnunen and Pukstys realized some extra attention could bring out the “best” in Sophia and had her stay late after a Saturday session.  Coaching her up both mentally (she had been over-thinking her throwing) and technique-wise, suddenly the sophomore “started popping 130s and 140s,” said observed NSAF Director Jim Spier.  “It was quite something to behold.”

“In one morning, we saw the spark, we saw the interest and we saw the improvement,” said Coach Pukstys in an interview with Justin Scranton.

“Getting one-on-one time with Tom Pukstys and Kimmo Kinnunen was really special and inspiring,” said Sophia a few weeks later.  “To know that the hard work I put into the sport was showing in the actual throws was gratifying ... Throwing 140 feet was fun.  It was a huge improvement from my current PR of 117.  I kinda thought I would get there eventually, but the coaching and camp got me there sooner than I expected.”

Sophia made it clear that what transpired two months earlier planted a seed.  “I've been working hard at throwing a long time, but seeing the great athletes at the October camp made me realize how much work it really takes to be successful in our sport.  It's just so technical.  I'm learning to really focus on improving one specific part of the throw at a time and work to perfect it before moving on.  Meeting Bill Schmidt, an Olympic medalist, and having him help me (in October) was really inspiring, too.”

She added that during the intervening months, she “focused a lot on core strength and crossovers.   Basketball conditioning really helps my foot speed, and that helps the crossover and runway.”

Finally, Sophia said that knowing the coaches see potential in her is “really cool, but it's a responsibility too.  Now I have to work even harder ... Going to Finland is an awesome opportunity.  I'm so excited to go to a country that loves the sport so passionately.  And to get to train and compete over there will be like a gift.”

Grayson Hill is hardly a newcomer with the jav.  He said he fell in love with it at eight years old, inspired by his father, Kirk – a former prep javelinist himself.  When his father was teaching Grayson’s older cousin about the event, it rubbed off him and he was hooked.  “My dad actually used to yell at me because I would throw the men's javelin (an old Sandvik with red stripes...it was cool looking) in the back yard, and he would always tell me, ‘Don't throw that, it's too heavy unless you don't want to throw when you’re older,’ because I might hurt my arm.”

Grayson reached 161-2 as a frosh at North East (Pa.) HS and he and his dad heard about the clinic when they purchased a jav from Coach Gorski.  “We signed up for the December clinic hoping to learn more technique, as I have been training and hoping to break 200 feet this year,” he said.

“The experience at the clinic was amazing,” he continued.  “At first, I was nervous because there were a lot of good throwers who seemed much better than me (I was relieved to find out they were much older than me)...but once we started, I knew this was going to be a good time.  Also meeting (coaches) Jeff, Kimmo, Barry and Tom was great, because before that point the only two people who I had known who threw the javelin were my dad and (HS) Coach Thomas Pyle (High School).”

It was a good time for Grayson, all right.  He exceeded his PR multiple times over the weekend and displayed a physical maturity at 6-0, 205 lbs. that seems beyond his years (15), making a big impression on the coaches and staff.

Grayson spoke of the passion the project has for helping athletes who have interest in this sport.  And his reaction to being invited to join?  “It was like, WOW!  What an opportunity to learn.  First it seemed like it wasn't real, but I realized how great of an opportunity this was for my javelin career.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the newcomers who looked good in Chapel Hill.  Veterans Trevor Danielson (Newberg HS, OR senior), Todd Ogden (Glacier HS, Kalispell, MT senior) and Kristen Clark (Ruston, LA senior) all showed the coaches and staff something to be excited about.  Danielson was dealing with back problems in October, but was just about pain-free in December after using exercises from Coach Gorski.  Ogden, who missed the October clinic due to football (all-state linebacker), looked sharp most of the weekend. 

Clark has been on a plateau just under 140 feet the past two years, but “something clicked” after working more closely with the coaches and, with a new explosiveness, was nailing throws in the 130s and even one over 140.  Sophomores Tairyn Montgomery (Redondo Beach, CA), Emma Fitzgerald (Thayer Academy, Boston, MA) – both 1st-year athletes – and 2nd-year athlete Katelyn Gochenour (Marian Catholic, Omaha, NE) all looked strong at times and were cited for snappy throws in the 140s during the weekend.

It all adds up to an exciting 2014 as everyone takes what they learned at the two fall sessions and prepares for their respective spring and summer track seasons.  It is expected that all eight athletes in the program will compete at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. 

Then, in late July and early August, it’s off to Finland!  Said Mr. Spier, “The outdoor season can’t come soon enough!”  Is there any doubt all 40 athletes in Chapel Hill and coaches would agree?