Missouri High Schools Experience Learning Curve Leading Up to Javelin's Inclusion in Missouri State Meet Program

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

A change is coming to the MSHSAA State Meet program. Javelin has been added as a scoring event.

The change has been two years coming, according to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. Last year the javelin was held as an exhibition event. Medals were awarded, but athletes did not contribute to the team scores.

This year that is about to change. However, that change has not come without a few hiccups along the way.

Athletes and coaches have had to learn the event side by side. The act of throwing the javelin is not necessarily intuitive. The implement is too light to be thrown as one would a spear. And repeated efforts with cuch light objects can lead to injury.

There have been implementation issues as well. Throwing areas have had to be added to facilities. McDowell described watching an errant javelin clear a chain link fence and hit the bumpers of two pickup trucks in a nearby parking lot in a visit to Blue Springs MO.

But for all the problems, the competitiveness in the state has slowly been improving from year to year. Ivan Barnett of Kirkwood MO and Dylan Cowling of Blue Springs lead the state with identical throws of 182-4. Reagan Kanagawa of Blue Springs leads in the girls javelin with a throw of 146-11. All three athletes will be vying for state titles later this month in Jefferson City.