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Interval Session #53 - Kyle Smith
By Steve Underwood, May 8, 2008

When Daphne Coach Milton Sutton first encouraged Kyle Smith to try the javelin, he fired it just over 80 feet.  The coach might have seen something that day that made him think his athlete could someday succeed in that event … or maybe he just thought an event where you don’t have to be the “biggest, strongest, or even fastest,” would be ideal for the sophomore. 

In any case, Sutton could not have imagined that Smith would in just over two years be ranked #1 in the country and have smashed the state record.  But that’s just what the senior did last week in the Alabama State Meet, hitting 223-08.  The javelin rewards some level of strength, but also arm speed, finesse, and more subtle technique than most would imagine.  Smith has zeroed in on the event and gotten coaching from different sources, and made full use of the internet.  By the end of his junior year, he was on the edge of national class, having exceeded 170 feet, then improved to 185-10 at USATF JOs.  Early this spring, he established that he was going to be consistently in the 190s, with 200+ efforts attainable on a good day. 

Everything changed, though, last weekend.  DyeStat News Editor SteveU learns how Smith’s individual initiative took him to the top of this event in football-mad Alabama.

Kyle wins the jav at Mobile COC.
Photo John Nepolitan

1. Kyle, now that you’ve had time to reflect on it a little bit, can you describe in detail that big throw last weekend? Talk a little bit about the specific conditions, the energy you had behind the first throw, and what it was like technically.


Well, Friday was one of the biggest days of my life so far. The last two years I have devoted to track, and to see it pay off like this, I couldn't ask for more. I was very hyped up and realized I needed to throw 200-feet-plus to take a win. When they called my name to get on the runway, I just got focused and let a good one go. There were perfect conditions to throw in Friday, with a decent tailwind and great atmosphere. Unfortunately, after I threw the first one so far, I just couldn’t hype myself up to throw another one as far, although my other two were over 206 feet. Technically, it was a good throw. I had a few things wrong that could have made it a 70-meter throw (229-08), but we can work on that.


2. What was the reaction at the meet when you hit that mark? Did the announcers give you props and get the crowd revved up? And how has jumping up a new level affected your perspective on national competition and your goals for the rest of the year?

Well, like most meets in high school in the state of Alabama, this meet was held at a track/football stadium. This means that the javelin was held on a soccer field about 400 meters away from the rest of the meet. There was a good crowd out at the javelin area when we were throwing, but not quite as many as you would expect. The crowd that was on hand was great. They clapped for me and really got me in the mindset that I needed to be in. Where we were throwing, you could not hear the announcer at the meet so I have no idea if an announcement was made or not. My ultimate goal this year is to finish in top two at US junior nationals in Columbus, Ohio. I really think if I smooth out some technical errors, I can easily reach my goal of 70 meters.


3. It seems like I’ve read more than once that the javelin is one of the events that it’s hardest to be really consistent with. Last year, you were in the 160s or 170s late in the year; this year, you’ve been pretty solid over 190. What has it taken for you to get to this level this year? Also, what were some of the things you worked on during the last few weeks? I read where you and your coach studied a lot of video of previous meets recently.

Some people say javelin is the most technical event in track and field, and I would not argue that at all. I have had several people help me over the past two seasons including a former thrower at the University of Alabama (Kyle Willoughby), and a former decathlete at Auburn University (Josh Woods). Those two guys, along with Coach Sutton, have really pushed me to throw and train to the best of my ability. The last few weeks before State involved very little javelin throwing. My lower back has really been bothering me and I felt I needed to rest it up as much as possible to allow me to throw one good one at State. The video coach and I watched helped out with my technique. We really ironed a few things out and got it together for State.


4. I’ve noticed that you also throw the shot and discus, and vault as well. Can you talk about what steered you to the javelin in the first place, and what it is that makes a javelin thrower different than a shot/discus guy – and what it’s like to try and be successful in all three?

I played football in 9th and 10th grade. Coach Sutton, who is a football coach at Daphne, actually thought I would be a pretty good hurdler. Well, he was wrong on the hurdler part. But one day a few guys were out throwing the javelins, and I picked one up and threw it. It went 82 feet. Coach thought my body type would be pretty good for a javelin thrower, so he entered me in my first meet halfway through that season. I threw 115 feet and some change at that meet. From then on, I realized javelin would carry me as far as I wanted to go.

I believe one of the reasons I enjoy javelin so much is because you don’t have to be the biggest, strongest, or even the fastest guy on the team to be the best. Javelin throwers just have to be able to work hard every day they come to practice, if they want to be good. A guy who bench presses 500 lbs. may throw the shot put 10-15 feet farther than me, but I bet I will throw the javelin way farther than he can. Javelin is a combination of explosiveness and technique. When you can combine these two things, the javelin really flies!


5. Can you talk about the coaching you’ve had in the event, and what you’ve done on your own to improve? Have you found that as you’ve become more and more national class, you’ve been able to give credibility to your passion, both in your mind and that of others?

Well, in Alabama, there are very few people who know every little detail about the throw. Coach Sutton coaches football in the summer and fall and helps me out in the spring. He knows a great deal about the throws and he really helped me progress throughout the last two years. My junior year I had help from Josh Woods. At that point, we were trying to turn me into a decathlete. I trained for the Decathlon until last summer when I threw 187 feet in the javelin. I then focused almost all of my training towards the javelin.

Josh moved to California last year, and I then met Kyle Willoughby at a meet in Birmingham, Alabama. He has helped so much with my technique and understanding of the event. I have been on my own with workouts for the most part. These guys did help me out tremendously, but never actually gave me many workouts to do. I have spent countless hours on youtube.com and the javelin discussion forum II trying to figure out what I should do in training.


6. Tell us a little about Daphne, Alabama, and what it’s like as a school and a town. Is there a lot of passion for football and other sports? What has your involvement in other sports been?

Daphne is an average town with about 18,000 people in it. This town is obsessed with football. Then again, what southern town isn’t? I guess they have good reason to be with our recent success in the sport. Most people in Daphne have no idea what a javelin is. They just know I am pretty good at it. They have no idea what it means to throw 223'8" as a high schooler. They just wonder why I didn't play football my final two years of high school.

I played football from 7th grade to 10th grade, and played basketball from 7th grade to 10th grade. I stopped playing both sports to focus on track and I believe it was one of the best decisions I could have made. I could have been an average football and basketball player, but I felt like I was playing them for the wrong reasons. When I started track and went on into the summer with it, I began to realize my potential in the javelin and realized how much better I could be if I spent football season and basketball season focusing on track.


7. I read that you’ve signed with Southern Mississippi. Will you tell us what other schools you considered and what helped you settle on USM?

I have signed my NLI to throw at the University of Southern Mississippi to throw for Coach Stephen next year. A few schools such as Duke, Georgia Tech, Troy, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State all showed interest, but I only took a visit to Troy and Southern Miss. Mississippi State showed a lot of interest early on in the fall, and Troy had been talking to me for a while. But Coach Stephen at USM had been there the whole time and is really the kind of person and coach I see myself being with for the next few years. One of the most important reasons I chose USM is because one of my ultimate goals is to make the 2012 Olympics in London, and I can really see Coach Stephen getting me to where I want to be.


8. Can you tell us about your life outside the track – your family, academic interests, and what you like to do for fun when not studying or training? I read where you like to hunt and fish. What’s good game in your neck of the woods?

Well, lately me and my Dad have really taken to kayaking. We both go out and fish in our kayaks. Ever since I was old enough to stand up, I have loved to fish. Fishing is the one thing I do to just go and relax. I also enjoy turkey and deer hunting. Besides being outdoors, I just like doing basic teenager stuff like hanging out with my friends, going to the beach, and playing other sports. As far as a college major, I am undecided.




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