THE JAVELIN IS MAKING A COME BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
By: Dennis Groll
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It's time for Mississippi High Schools to look at adding the Javelin Throw to its list of Track & Field events contested in the MHSAA Track & Field competition.
There is a surge of high schools across the country that have either recently added the Javelin or are taking steps to have it added in their state. 5 states have added it in recent years and 5 more or currently proposing it be added.
Mississippi is one of those states that has made a proposal to have it added according to myself, Coach Dennis Groll, the Track & Field Coach at Northwest Rankin High School.
My proposal will be considered at the District 6 meeting this Wednesday, July 27th at 6:00 PM at Ridgeland High School.
If you coach at a school in District 6, I, Coach Grill, would appreciate it if after reading this article you would let your District 6 representative for your school know that you would like to have them vote in favor of adding the Javelin in Mississippi.
Below is an article published in the Wall Street Journal showing the increase in the interest among states to add the Javelin.
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Look Out! The Javelin Is Soaring Back at High School Meets
Coaches and former throwers are succeeding in getting the event, long banned in some states, added to track and field programs
"A quiet movement is soaring across the nation and into states from Florida to Arizona. The javelin throw is making a comeback in high school track and field.
The event is as old as the ancient Olympics, yet has faded in the U.S., where some states have banned the javelin in high school or never adopted it for fear of a gruesome mishap.
The decline is so pronounced that the javelin is one of the lowest-performing events for the U.S. national team, which otherwise has won four times as many Olympic track and field medals as any other nation. U.S. women have won a total of three Olympic medals in the javelin, the most recent in 1976, and U.S. men have won five medals, most recently a half-century ago.
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Now, however, there are signs of a resurgence at the local level. This year, at least 22 state high school championship meets included a javelin event, according to a Wall Street Journal tally. That's an increase of five states in the past six years.
The growth comes as more state high school athletic associations are concluding that it isn't demonstrably more dangerous than some other common athletic pursuits. Javelin proponents say it's an integral part of track and field, and that athletes of all shapes and sizes can excel in the event."
LISTED BELOW ARE SOME REASONS TO ADD THE JAVELIN THROW TO THE EVENTS CONTESTED IN THE MHSAA TRACK & FIELD COMPETITION
1. Safety is the first thing most people think about when the Javelin is mentioned. In my 45 years being involved with coaching the Javelin, I have never seen anyone injured. In my research, I have found that the Javelin is much less of an injury concern than the Shot Put, Discus, Pole Vault, Football, Cheer, Basketball, Soccer, Archery, etc.
2. Recently the innovation of adding a Rubber Tip to the Javelin has increased the Safety of the implement causing more states to add the Javelin to their list of events they contest. It would be nice to see Mississippi follow in the footsteps of other states and add the Javelin.
3. The Javelin is an Olympic event and is contested in the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA Track and Field programs. Adding the Javelin will increase the Scholarship Opportunity for our High School students to go to In-State Colleges and Universities to pursue a higher level of Education.
4. The In-State Colleges and Universities are in favor of us adding the Javelin, so they do not have to go Out-of-State or Internationally to recruit Javelin Throwers.
5. Currently our Mississippi State Taxpayers Dollars are going to Out-of-State and International students to fill their need to have Javelin Throwers on their team. Usually, upon graduation from these schools, these athletes from other states and countries return to their homes to live their lives.
6. The events offered by MHSAA are weighted towards Sprinting (8 events), Distance (4 events), Jumping (4 events), and Throwing (2 events). Adding the Javelin will offer one more event for Throwers to participate in their event group.
7. Adding the Javelin would give students built physically different from the bigger and heavier Shot Put and Discus Throwers an opportunity to be competitive in an event suited for their body build. Therefore, adding the Javelin will open up more spots for Athletes to participate in Track & Field.
8. The National Federation of High School (NFHS) Rule Book that the MHSAA uses as its Rules for conducting Track and Field competition in the State of Mississippi supports the Javelin as an event to be contested in High School meets.
9. There are plenty of resources one can lean on to assist in making the competition site a safe environment. No new construction of a site is needed to host the Javelin. All that is needed is a grass field to chalk or spray paint the sector lines on for the competition. A grass field is preferred because of its forgiving nature as opposed to a rubber surface.