Hanover
It was supposed to be a more powerful throw to test Roper’s arm strength, according to Raiders javelin coach Jon Cyphers, But harder throws, Cyphers said, tend to force athletes into more of a sidearm delivery than the customary over-the-shoulder technique. Trainers diagnosed Roper with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, widely known for sending baseball pitchers to Tommy John surgery. Roper headed to physical therapy, determined to return.
His coaches had an easier solution: Throw lefty.
Tuesday’s Connecticut Valley Conference North qualifier at Hanover High was one of the few times this spring that Roper has thrown with his natural right arm. The Cornish native said his elbow, after physical therapy, feels OK with some warmups. He then proved it by throwing a meet-best 47 feet, 11 inches in the shot put for a spot in Saturday’s CVC championship meet at Fall Mountain. He also finished second in the boys discus throw at 128-7.75.
Roper’s lefty attempts are mostly in practice, though he threw 80-1 in the discus left-handed at Hanover’s home meet last week. He didn’t compete in the javelin on Tuesday.
“(Throwing left-handed) actually benefits you in the long run because it trains your brain better technique,” Cyphers said.
Roper’s eagerness to get back to where he needs to be for states makes Tuesday’s results even sweeter.
“(A throw like that) makes me really happy,” he said of his shot put throw.
If anything, Roper said, the result illustrated the kind of progress he’s been looking for on his path to a full recovery. Last spring, he placed third (44-0) in the shot put, eighth (112-3) in the discus and 11th in the javelin (131-2) at the NHIAA Division II state meet. Roper was the youngest of the top three in the shot, but his focus is on javelin.
“It seems like the event where you need the most athleticism, and you don’t have to be a huge, bulky Viking guy,” he said.
Roper said he has plans to pursue throwing in college. Until then, he said he’ll do as many events as he can to help his team score valuable points at the state meet.
“I want to throw every event that I can. I want to fill out the day,” Roper said. “Track meets are long; you might as well do something.”
Dan Mead calls the book and DVD package From Beginner to Bubka and Isinbayeva, Too his pole-vaulting bible. He even brings it along to track meets throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, where Mead — a Windsor High graduate — can be found coaching every pole vaulter, no matter their jersey color.
Mead, a former thrower for the Yellowjackets, is one of the only pole-vaulting coaches in Vermont, and he has become well-known throughout the state as the go-to guy to get serious about pole-vault training. His clinics at Windsor High, which began last season, are in high demand.
“I love working with the kids and seeing them get addicted to pole vaulting, and just wanting to work more to get better,” Mead said. “It’s the most difficult event in track and field.”
To pole vaulters such as Windsor junior Vincent Moeykens, having Mead so close to home is an invaluable resource.
“At Windsor, we have a pole vault pit, but a lot of schools around us don’t,” Moeykens said. “We get kids coming to our school to work with us in our pit, especially to work with Dan. Meeting other pole-vaulting kids in the area through Dan means when I come to a meet, even if he isn’t there, we have our own little community of Dan Mead pole vaulters.
“I’ll tell you, every day of track for the past three years, it’s always exciting when I’m walking down and I see his truck, because that means we get to work with Dan,” Moeykens added. “He pushes us, he tries to have us do our best, but he also sits down and talks with us. It’s awesome having him.”
Thetford pole vaulter Noah Perry said he’s always looked forward to meets where Windsor is participating because it means he can get pointers from Mead.
“Some coaches, they don’t like to help other athletes, but Dan is always willing to give you a tip here or there,” Perry said.
Hartford freshman Kennedy Mullen admitted the transition from girls basketball to track and field wasn’t easy. It helped, however, having an standout upperclassman competing in almost all of the same events.
Canes head coach Mike Perry is already sold on the idea that Kennedy and four-event junior Ileana Sirois could be a one-two punch for Hartford’s girls. On Tuesday, the pair dominated the jumping events by splitting first and second place in the triple jump and long jump. Mullen won the triple jump in 34-2.25; Sirois placed second (32-5). Sirois won the long jump (15-6); Mullen took second (15-2).
Mullen also won the 400 (1:02.56), and Sirois emerged victorious in the 100 hurdles (16.36 seconds).
“I think we’re really supportive of each other,” Mullen said. “It’s not really super competitive. … It’s more of a bond because we’re both kind of on top right now. We work together to get each other better, and we try to get each other better.”
Perry said he expected a strong year from Mullen, but her emergence so quickly has opened up a lot of possibilities.
“They’re going be big point-getters for us,” Perry said. “They work well together. … It’s a good environment. But next year, (Mullen) is going to be crazy in the jumps.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.