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Shot Put - A Descendant of Scottish Highlands Stone-Throwing


DonRocks

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How does a high school Shot Put record stand untouched for nearly 50 years?

Tom Brosius of Springbrook High School set the Maryland state record on May 25, 1968, and it still stands today - as of right now, it's the longest-standing Maryland high school track and field record by 15 years (Rodney Giles' 800 Meters record was set in 1983, which is also remarkable, since there's a greater interest in running events than in field events).

Can someone who has actually put the shot (that's how you say it!) tell me how good 64' 6 1/2" is? I have no idea - I'm assuming this was a 12-pound shot; not 16-pound: Brosius's best put in college was 64' 3 1/2", which was the best put in the nation that year - undoubtedly, he had gone up from 12 to 16 pounds, since that was shorter than his high school record. This is a noteworthy 33.3% increase in weight, which shows how strong people can get in the four years of college.

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My goodness, in 1979, Michael Carter broke the *national* high school Shot Put record by over *nine feet*! That is Bob Beamon-like (look at the Long Jump progression chart (*)). Nobody has come within two feet of Carter's record since!

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(*) Note that Jesse Owens held the Long Jump record for 25 years - incredibly, 2 years longer than Beamon held it! There's your trivia question guaranteed to stump everyone: "Who held the world Long Jump record for the longest duration of time in the 20th century?"

I had no idea Jesse Owens held the record for longer than Bob Beamon did - here's the progression chart. Note that Mike Powell has held it for longer still - going on 26 years, straddling the 20th and 21st centuries.

Note also that Galina Christyakova has held the women's record for nearly 30 years. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the only woman to have held the record since 1976, who isn't from the former Eastern bloc,

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As long as we're at it, we all know that Jesse Owens won the Gold Medal in the 100m dash at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Q: Who won the silver medal?
A: Mack Robinson: Jackie's older brother!

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Yes, high school would be a 12 pound shot. That would be in the top 10 in the country most years, but usually there are a couple of throws in the low 70s. Michael Carter was a freak of nature; nobody has come close to him. His daughter has been the top woman in the US (professional, not high school) for some time now.

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On 6/5/2017 at 4:36 PM, agm said:

Yes, high school would be a 12 pound shot. That would be in the top 10 in the country most years, but usually there are a couple of throws in the low 70s. Michael Carter was a freak of nature; nobody has come close to him. His daughter has been the top woman in the US (professional, not high school) for some time now.

Did you notice how beautiful Carter's record throw was, especially on the finish? It was like watching someone dance ballet - perfect balance, and you could tell just from watching his movements which of the six throws was the record: a truly incredible moment for him, like all the forces in the cosmos came together for an instant.

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I threw shot in high school, but was more adept at discus.  To succeed both require some baseline raw strength, but technique is way more important.  One of the better throwers I ran across at meets during my lackluster career was pretty lanky up top with very solid legs, but had 2-3" on many other throwers that may have outweighed him by 40-50 pounds.  His technique was superb, and he used his arm length to great advantage.

It's interesting to note that Carter's still-standing record uses the older style slide step; these days it's all spin technique which can generate more forward momentum at the point of release, however it requires more coordination.  Truly a freak of nature.

Watch the finals from Rio where Americans placed 1-2.  On Crouser's gold winning throw, notice his reaction.  He knows that throw is the one the instant it leaves his fingertips.  Whenever you uncork a good one, you know it immediately.  The shot or disc just floats out of your hand, there is no perceived resistance from a bad arm angle or your muscles fighting an off-balance rotation.  Just one fluid motion packed with explosive energy on release.

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