Junior Brandy McDaniel steps into the eight and a half feet diameter discus ring, positions the disc on her palm, spins, and lets it fly. The discus stays airborne for 74.2 feet and then hits the ground with a soft thud. McDaniel has beaten her personal record. With a satisfied smile, she exits the ring, retrieves her disc, and waits with the other throwers on the sidelines. Soon, she enters a smaller ring. The shot put ring measures about seven feet in diameter. This season, McDaniel hopes to beat her personal record and spin her throws farther than her power throw.
“Power throws are easier because when you spin, it’s harder to land, but when you power throw, there’s more power.” McDaniel said.
In a spin throw, the athlete spins before throwing their shot or disc. For power throws, they stand at the front of the ring and just throw it. A female’s shot put weighs eight pounds. Male throwers have four extra pounds on their shots, weighing in at 12 pounds of metal. McDaniel’s shot put PR remains 23.7 feet.
“Sometimes I doubt myself, but when I do, I imagine that it’s only me and coach Barry,” McDaniel said. “There’s no one else watching and all sound goes away. Coach Barry always does what’s best for us and pushes us because only he has seen what we can truly do. His workouts are hard, but they pay off at the meets.”
There are three ways to throw a discus and four to throw a shot put. In discus, you can power throw, half spin, and full spin. In shot put you can power, two way slide, half spin, and full spin.
“The hardest part of throwing is learning all the different ways to throw. The easiest part is stepping into the ring. The best part is being part of the team.” McDaniel said. “When the shot or disc is in your hands, it makes you feel more powerful as you throw them and it encourages you to do your best.”
