On April 7th, the New Haven High School track team journeyed to a practice meet at Owensville. This was the second-to-last practice meet before the medal meets began; the last one was on April 9th, a Thursday, at Montgomery. Practice meets are used to get athletes into the groove of track season and to help those who just started track this year learn what to expect at meets.
Owensville was different from other practice meets because a new event was added that athletes could participate in: the javelin. Javelin is a throwing event that involves a light pole that athletes throw for distance. Throwing it involves taking a running start with the javelin, locking the knee, and using forward momentum to throw the javelin as far as possible.
The students who threw javelin included James Eplin, Ryan Blankenship, and Kate Ruediger--all freshmen at New Haven High; Abby Perdue, a junior; and Brooklyn Covington, a sophomore. Abby Perdue stated, “It was really cool because it was the first time I got to throw anything at a competition, and my arms are really sore. It was my third time throwing a javelin ever, but I threw 71 feet and got 5th place.”
One student who didn’t throw a javelin but tried something very different was sophomore Damien “Bubba” Gale. Normally, Bubba participates in the 4x800 junior varsity relay team, the mile, and the 800 meter run; but at Owensville he participated in the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Bubba is the only male hurdler this year, and this is his first time running hurdles since middle school. “It was not easy. I already knew the technique; I just had to get the speed down.” Bubba voiced. “The 110 meter was a lot easier than the 300 meter; I was already tired by time I did the 300 meter. I’m not used to the sprinting. I’m probably going to try it again and do it for the rest of the year and get the speed down.”
Coach Tucker had some thoughts about the meet: “The girls won the meet, so I was happy for them and excited. We ran well, threw well, and jumped well. We still have a long way to go before districts. It was a nice meet, but we still have a long way to go.”
-by Robbie Cichon
The students who threw javelin included James Eplin, Ryan Blankenship, and Kate Ruediger--all freshmen at New Haven High; Abby Perdue, a junior; and Brooklyn Covington, a sophomore. Abby Perdue stated, “It was really cool because it was the first time I got to throw anything at a competition, and my arms are really sore. It was my third time throwing a javelin ever, but I threw 71 feet and got 5th place.”
One student who didn’t throw a javelin but tried something very different was sophomore Damien “Bubba” Gale. Normally, Bubba participates in the 4x800 junior varsity relay team, the mile, and the 800 meter run; but at Owensville he participated in the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Bubba is the only male hurdler this year, and this is his first time running hurdles since middle school. “It was not easy. I already knew the technique; I just had to get the speed down.” Bubba voiced. “The 110 meter was a lot easier than the 300 meter; I was already tired by time I did the 300 meter. I’m not used to the sprinting. I’m probably going to try it again and do it for the rest of the year and get the speed down.”
Coach Tucker had some thoughts about the meet: “The girls won the meet, so I was happy for them and excited. We ran well, threw well, and jumped well. We still have a long way to go before districts. It was a nice meet, but we still have a long way to go.”
-by Robbie Cichon
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