Photo courtesy of Pine Crest's Paul Baur
For the first time since the 1950s, javelin will be a featured, contested event at the 2020 FHSAA State Finals.
With a new event, we will see opportunity open up for our Florida athletes. Not only when it comes to points that could be scored for their team at the highest level of competition, but also the college scholarship opportunities for our throwers.
"Every college in Florida has scholarship opportunities for Men and Women javelin throwers. Until now virtually every one of those scholarships have been going to out of state athletes. This will put an end to that in the upcoming years," Broward Elite Athletic Club throws coach, Jim Griffin said.
With opportunity knocking, Holly Fagan of MF Athletic and many others in the Florida track and field community have sponsored multiple javelin clinics all over the state, with the hopes of educating and instructing the javelin event so that athletes can have an early jump on competition.
On February 4, over 100 athletes, coaches and parents participated in one of these clinics at Calvary Christian Fort Lauderdale. Led by Pine Crest's Paul Baur (who competed in the throwing event in HS in Louisiana and then became a Javelin scholarship athlete for UF), Broward Elite Athletic Club's Jim Griffin, and Olympian and NCAA javelin champion, Laverne Eve.
This is a great opportunity for all throwers to come and learn a new event, master their craft while learning from an olympian with the hopes of earning big points for their teams come May at the state championship meet.
More Coverage:
- To register for Free Santa Fe Javelin Clinic, email Scott Peters (halfmiletiming@yahoo.com) to RSVP by 2/13/2020 at midnight