Just a couple of days ago I had won of the best experiences of my life. It was on Saturday at the Illinois Prep Top Times meet, otherwise known as Indoor State. All of the best shot putters from Illinois had shown up at this meet. I was going in ranked 1^st for class 3a. My best throw going into the meet happened a week earlier.

I had thrown 61ft. 1in. at the Lake Michigan Invitational over at Carthage College. Even though I was ranked 1^st going into the meet, I knew I had to bring my A-game if I wanted to get a win. When I arrived, I saw several people from my club team. They were all athletes from Lake Park High School. After some talking and then an hour of warming up, it was time to get things started.

My warm up throws were feeling good. I took 2 full throws and they were both around 60 feet. I decided that was enough and waited for my turn to throw. Most of my throws in this competition were around 59ft. which was very consistent, but wasn’t going to cut it, especially not this year.

Before I knew it, I was heading into the final round of the competition in 3^rd place. My best throw at the time was 59ft. 10 1/2in. The two throwers ahead of me had thrown 59ft. 11in and 60ft. 2in. These were huge PRs for these throwers. It was my turn to throw. It was the last throw of the competition. I had one chance to prove who the best shot put thrower in Illinois was.

I had sweat dripping down my face heading towards the ring. Once I stepped in, I took a look at where in the sector I needed to throw in order to secure a victory. I placed my feet at the back of the ring, took a deep breath, and rotated. A let out a grunt as I was releasing the shot. I knew it was a good throw right after it left my hand. After my reverse, I saw where it landed, and held my hand in the air signaling number 1. I walked out of the ring with pride, already knowing I had just become the Indoor State Champion.

The throw turned out to be 62ft. 1in. which was a new personal best throw for me. I ended the indoor season ranked ^#3 in the nation on Dyestat. Now that indoor is over, I’m hoping for good weather so I can see where my discus is at. I’m looking to get two more state champion medals before high school is over!

Also, my clutch throw is on youtube.com for anyone who would like to see it.