Track and field is a sport with a variety of different events, but the first thought that probably comes to mind is one of the many different running events.
What is often overlooked are two important events, called shot put and discus, in which junior Devin Hunt dominates. Hunt is currently a large contributor to Orono in points and is consistently winning his events.
“Starting back in middle school, I got the middle school discus record at Orono. Last year I won my first varsity meets, this year I’ve won at every meet I’ve thrown at. In the last off-season, I competed in USATF track and field meets, and I won my age group for Minnesota,” Hunt said.
Hunt’s claim to fame is his amazing throwing in the shot put and discus events. In these events, the thrower uses their muscle and body weight in order to hoist or “put” a heavy metal ball or throw a disk as far as possible.
These events require high amounts of muscle and impeccable form in order to pull them off correctly. Hunt also competes in other events including 100-meter dash and triple jump.
“My main goals are to break the school records in the shot put and discus. I also want to be conference champ in both shot and discus, last year I was seated second in the conference for both, but I let the pressure get to me. A goal almost as important to getting the school records for me is to make it to state this year,” Hunt said.
Hunt is on track to accomplish both of these goals this season. Lee Warner currently holds the record for both events with 52’ 10.5” for shot put and 150’ 3” for discus.
These records were both achieved over 50 years ago in 1966, and Hunt plans on breaking both this year. He has put in a lot of work during the off-season in order to give himself the best chance for success.
“The off-season is where I make the most progress physically and technically. I go to a throwing training camp on Sundays at the University of Minnesota over the winter, we practice mostly on technique to make the throws become muscle memory. The maturity of a thrower is gained through heavy repetition, after throwing, I now know exactly what I did wrong technically since it’s been ingrained into my muscle memory to throw it a certain way,” Hunt said.
Not only is training muscle memory important– staying in peak physical shape plays a large role as well, especially when the average height of most throwers is over 6’5.”
“Most successful throwers are behemoths, so since I’m not 6’5,” I have to work on my advantages. During the off-season, I workout 6-7 days per week, focusing on building muscle and my explosiveness. Explosiveness is the most important aspect to throwing for me, I rely on athleticism and technical strength rather than brute force. During the season I find it more difficult to find time to train as intensely, so I work to maintain what I’ve built, and to polish my technique,” Hunt said.
Hunt’s recent success in track and field have opened up numerous possibilities for him, going forward.
This is an imperative time for him, as many colleges are watching him. As the season starts to ramp up, his performance and execution will be crucial for college recruitment.
“Personally, nerves have been my biggest issue as a thrower. I become so entrenched in the mental imagery of what my throw is supposed to look
like, that I tend to overthink and not let my body do the work for me,” Hunt said, “I currently have about 20 college coaches following my athletic profile, and I’ve also gotten many letters this year from college coaches. My goal is to just continue doing what has become such a large part of my life; I’ve put a lot of time into track and I really would like to continue to grow my passion and take it to the next level.”
Track and field is a great way to get outside, have fun with your friends and get exercise. There are events for everyone to compete in and accomplishments waiting to be made. The track team is always looking for new people to join and nobody is cut, so anyone looking for a great opportunity should keep track and field in mind.
“I would definitely recommend track and field, but be ready to put in 100 percent effort because it’s competitive, but more importantly, putting in more effort will lead to more reward. I would say find events that not only fit you as an athlete but find events that you genuinely enjoy, as it’s hard to stay committed to really anything if there is a lack of enjoyment,” Hunt said, “most importantly, I would say to not go in with strict expectations, because at the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world that you didn’t win, it’s that you were able to be better than you were before that should give the feeling of fulfillment.”
