Disappointment and Hopes in Track

This has been such a hard year for me and track and I’m really starting off the season in the hole. It is quite evident that something has taking a turn for the worse with throwing the shot put for me. Last year I was throwing forty two feet at track meets, which is a decent mark and would be a mark that would put me in a decent ranking this year as it seems all of the big bombers (those that could hit fifty feet on average at a meet) left last year and were all seniors or lost interest in the sport.
This year I’m throwing thirty nine and forty feet on average and that is a huge change and very negative change in regards to shot put throwing. This entire season so far has been to figure out why, why I’m not throwing forty fives and winning meets and getting points for my track team. My coach after sending an email to a big-time shot put coach in Illinois came to the conclusion that because I have grown and got bigger this year that my feet are not used to moving the same amount in the ring. This seems to any of you reading that haven’t thrown shot put competitively such a small and insignificant detail that it shouldn’t matter. You may wonder what kind of foot work and practice you would need in throwing a twelve pound shot, which essentially is a cannonball, but yet I’m thoroughly convinced that shot put throwing requires more technique than almost any other sport in the world with only a few exceptions.
One day I think I had the glimpse of the future of which I wish for and that is the day that I was throwing all forty twos and a near forty five feet throw also which became my new personal record (PR).