2008 Woodie Awards
Throw One Deep at Simplot Games
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Sports
Simplot Games
Press Release
The Throw One Deep club has thrown several "deep" while competing at Simplot Games. Traveling all the way from Marietta, Ga., the throwing squad swept the top five out of six places in the women's weight throw, and clinched three of six in the women's shot put. On the boy's side, they swept all six places in the weight throw, and took 2nd place in the shot put.
Throw One Deep throwing club began in 1999 by level 2 USATF coach and coaching instructor Mike Judge. His main inspiration for starting the elite club was to give young throwers a better chance of receiving college scholarships after high school. The club has helped over 60 athletes receive college scholarships. So what sets the athletes participating in Throw One Deep ahead of the competition?
Practices are held five days a week. Four to five of those days, athletes are lifting weights on top of at least two hours of throwing. A typical Throw One Deep practice can range from two hours to three and a half hours in length. A majority of the athletes make summer teams, so Throw One Deep trains all year round. This training is much more time consuming and rigorous than most high-school programs. Judge says it is more like college training.
Currently he has about 24 kids on the waiting list to be a part of the club. Although the club is very popular and Judge has coached over 80 high school all-Americans, he gives all the credit to his athletes for their success.
"A good coach can only tell an athlete what to do," says Judge. "These kids work harder than anybody."
Even after a three hour long practice, the athletes are able to go home and do homework so they get the job done in the class room as well. At the Nike Indoor Nationals, six athletes were awarded all academic honors; three of them were from Throw One Deep.
When the club travels to Simplot Games, it takes a full day of traveling and almost $20,000. Judge believes it is all worth it.
"It is a great competition," says Judge. "You have to get a lot of experience. The Simplot Games is a big, well-known meet, and the kids get a lot of good experience. It's a big deal when at big college meets they have a lot of experience so they don't get too nervous. The Simplot Games is a great meet and a great experience."
Press Release
The Throw One Deep club has thrown several "deep" while competing at Simplot Games. Traveling all the way from Marietta, Ga., the throwing squad swept the top five out of six places in the women's weight throw, and clinched three of six in the women's shot put. On the boy's side, they swept all six places in the weight throw, and took 2nd place in the shot put.
Throw One Deep throwing club began in 1999 by level 2 USATF coach and coaching instructor Mike Judge. His main inspiration for starting the elite club was to give young throwers a better chance of receiving college scholarships after high school. The club has helped over 60 athletes receive college scholarships. So what sets the athletes participating in Throw One Deep ahead of the competition?
Practices are held five days a week. Four to five of those days, athletes are lifting weights on top of at least two hours of throwing. A typical Throw One Deep practice can range from two hours to three and a half hours in length. A majority of the athletes make summer teams, so Throw One Deep trains all year round. This training is much more time consuming and rigorous than most high-school programs. Judge says it is more like college training.
Currently he has about 24 kids on the waiting list to be a part of the club. Although the club is very popular and Judge has coached over 80 high school all-Americans, he gives all the credit to his athletes for their success.
"A good coach can only tell an athlete what to do," says Judge. "These kids work harder than anybody."
Even after a three hour long practice, the athletes are able to go home and do homework so they get the job done in the class room as well. At the Nike Indoor Nationals, six athletes were awarded all academic honors; three of them were from Throw One Deep.
When the club travels to Simplot Games, it takes a full day of traveling and almost $20,000. Judge believes it is all worth it.
"It is a great competition," says Judge. "You have to get a lot of experience. The Simplot Games is a big, well-known meet, and the kids get a lot of good experience. It's a big deal when at big college meets they have a lot of experience so they don't get too nervous. The Simplot Games is a great meet and a great experience."
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