Throwing events require more than muscle

May 21, 2015

David Goss has spent a lot of time over the past seven years throwing shot put and discus.

He competed the past three years at Medora and has also participated at Brownstown Central.

“I started here (Medora),” Goss said.

“My dad is who got me into sports. He was an athlete and went to Brownstown and Taylor University.”

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Goss, who is a member of the Hornets, said he thinks that shot put is his strongest event in field.

“Shot would have to be my favorite,” Goss said. “You have to use your chest and legs mostly and always have good form. I’m left-handed, and my coach is right-handed, so all I do is watch him and reverse it. I glide, and so far my best throw has been 38-9. I think I can get 40 feet by sectional. It’s going to take hard work and dedication.”

Throwing takes much more than strength to achieve maximum distance.

“It’s mostly technique, if anything,” Goss said. “You have to have some sort of muscle; you have to use your legs and your arms. If you have good technique, you can launch it further than someone who has more muscle than you.”

Balance also is a factor when Goss takes the stage to throw.

“I always try to make sure my head is up because coach tells me if my head is down, more than likely I’m going to throw down,” Goss said.

“If you have your head up when you’re coming back off the glide, whenever you’re moving your chest you’ll be up at the angle you want to, so I want to be able to look up at the sky but still be able to see everything else in my peripheral vision.”

Most of Goss’ best throws come leading up to competition.

“Mostly, it’s warm-ups when I get my best throw,” Goss said. “In warm-ups, I’ve been hitting in the 40s, so I take one or two throws and leave it at that.”

Goss said when he releases the discus he does a half-spin.

“You want to get as slow as you can and try not to grip the discus when you release,” he said.

“My biggest problem is I try and grip it toward the end, so instead of just letting it glide off my finger, I grip it, and then it tilts up like it is going straight up.

“I’ve thrown 90 or 100 (feet) in practice, but I haven’t got there in a meet yet.”

On Medora’s small track team, Goss also runs on the track.

“I’ve been experimenting, but the one I’ve done the best in would probably have to be the 400 relay,” Goss said.

The senior said he had to spend a lot of time working on hand-offs.

“Being left-handed and (Bailey Pfeiffer) being right-handed, it’s been hard,” Goss said. “Track is more of an individual sport on this team. You have to not only focus on yourself but the team. There is always something different to do.

“There are always going to be more people involved in your sport than what you think. If you’re a runner, your main goal is to go out and do you best. If you’re a thrower, same thing. It’s however you perceive it.”

Goss said he believes that having a strong mindset pays dividends in athletics.

“If you get down on yourself, which I have quite a few times, it just messes with yourself,” Goss said. “You’re not thinking right, and you’re not going to throw to your full ability.

“Just keep an open mind and stay positive as much as you can. Always try to prove people wrong.”

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Name: David Goss

Family: Parents, Carol Goss, Tim Goss; siblings, Mary, Sam, Hayley

Sports: track 3 years, basketball 1 year, football 1 year

Favorite away track: “I like Brownstown. Besides (Medora) it is where I feel the most at home.”

Organizations: Letter M Club, Sportsman Club

Plans after school: Go to school for mechanics

Attending MHS: “I think this was the best thing for me. The school helped me out a lot more, my grades went up. I had more one-on-one time with my teachers. I enjoy the people I’m around. It being such a small school, I know everybody.”

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