ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE
Javelin thrower shows versatility Dailey Jackson • Managing Editor
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tudents sway nervously back and forth, waiting their turn to participate in their designated event. Some chat with fellow competitors while others are sprawled on the track or field to stretch and prepare their muscles. After warming up, senior Matthew Blaquiere stands alongside his competitors as the officials read each name out loud, taking roll. He waits patiently while the names are called out again, this time signaling each person’s time to throw. Finally, he is called; it is his turn. He steps up to the runway and sprints, feeling the air escape from his lungs as his javelin flies from his hands and through the air, landing nearly 45 meters away. A new personal record. After participating in track and focusing on the triple jump event since his freshman year, Blaquiere was given the chance to try out a new event in the summer of 2019: javelin. “I immediately fell in love with it, and now it’s just what I like to do,” Blaquiere said. “It’s what I’m good at, and I just get a ton of joy from it.” Unlike other throwing events in track, javelin involves the hurling of a large metal spear, otherwise known as a javelin. Participants line up and, depending on which school hosts the meet, rotate through the list of names until every participant has thrown between three and six times.
MATTHEW BLAQUIERE 30 THE SHIELD | FEBRUARY 2020
After an official records the distances, another rotation occurs for the preliminary round and then the final round when the first, second and third place athletes are decided. “It’s like there is a team aspect, but also you’re going against yourself,” Blaquiere said. “You have to put the work in, and you just have to be in the right mindset and put everything out there.” Track coach Loren James ensures that daily workouts are different for each runner and thrower to match their own personal weaknesses. When Blaquiere isn’t working out with Coach James, he is practicing his throws out on the field or working to improve his technique with other coaches. “It definitely has something to do with work ethic and discipline because if you’re not out there all the time trying to get better, you’re going to fall behind,” Blaquiere said. “You’re going to lose and you’re not going to get better.” He acknowledges the work and dedication he needs to put in to improve his skills and become a better athlete, no matter the event. “I’m going to go out on the track, and I know I have to run as fast as I can, throw as far as I can and jump as far as I can to beat everyone else along with myself,” Blaquiere said.
