WARNER – On a day better suited for kite flying, a pair of athletes sent shot puts sailing farther than they ever have on Thursday.
Jacob Kindelspire of Leola and Tristan Geditz of Ipswich both won the shot put during the Field Events Meet on a blustery day in Warner, which featured sustained winds near 30 miles per hour with gusts much stronger than that.
Kindelspire recorded the top distance in Class B so far this spring with a toss of 50-feet, 2-inches.
“I was pretty happy finally getting into the 50-club,” Kindelspire said. “Shoot for mid-50s this year probably.”
Kindespire said the wind was more of an issue mentally than it was physically.
“The wind is really just a mental thing. Your biggest challenge is probably the mind,” Kindelspire said. “You’ve just got to beat that and then the rest is pretty easy.”
The senior’s top throw came in a preliminary flight. He said it’s important to establish a mark early to assure a spot in the finals.
“I got a fair mark right away and made sure I made finals, because I had a problem scratching out last year,” Kindelspire said, “and then you can really ramp it up and just try and PR, beat your own goal. Placement doesn’t matter. You just got to get a better goal for yourself.”
Kindelspire will be attempting to become the second straight state champion from Leola in the event. Last year Dustin Wurtz won the state title in the shot put and also set a school record that Kindelspire is chasing.
“He said if anyone could beat his mark it would be me, but that’s a lot work,” Kindelspire said. “I don’t have his strength. He said I have better form than him, but I’m not as strong as him.”
Geditz saved her best throw of the day for last, recording a toss of 35-5, a personal best and currently the fifth best throw among Class B throwers.
Geditz also downplayed the conditions, relying on mental toughness.
“It’s definitely a lot on the mental side,” Geditz said, “and when we practice we try and practice a lot outside in the bad weather, so that it comes good come competition time.”
Geditz ran back and forth in the background in between her attempts, trying to stay warm and loose.
“You’ve just got to keep yourself warm and keep yourself going,” Geditz said. “It’s all a mindset.”
Geditz, who has the seventh best throw in the discus at 113-7, has goals she wants to reach by the end of the season.
“Continue to keep growing, hopefully hit the 120-125 mark in disc,” she said, “and then keep going in shot, too.”
The junior was pleased that she reached her personal record to cap off the day.
“It’s good seeing all the work that I’ve put in is finally paying off,” Geditz said.
The wind also had an impact in other events during the afternoon.
Faulkton’s Brooklyn Mueller noticed it on her way to winning the girls’ triple jump.
“It impacted me a lot, actually,” Mueller said. “I feel like on my phases they were more consistent and the wind definitely took me further. That’s one thing I’ve been trying to work on is further phases to get further in the box.”
Mueller, who jumped a second-best personal mark of 32 feet in the triple jump, said the conditions was also a factor in the long jump.
“The wind definitely affected things. I had to move back a few steps,” Mueller said of the long jump. “I was kind of inconsistent, but we’re getting there.”
The eighth-grader has a goal of qualifying for the state meet and then having an impact when she gets there.
“My goals for the upcoming season are to definitely check one box off at a time,” Mueller said, “to get further phases, more consistent, more consistent on the board, and just overall, thinking about what I can do better.”
Warner’s Brennan Wolf-Donat won the boys’ high jump at the meet. He said the environment, which did not include any running events and few fans, made things a bit more relaxing.
“I felt like I had a lot less pressure. I could do a lot more by myself,” Wolf-Donat said. “I didn’t have to worry about a bunch of people trying to talk to me like they always do, like all the other things that go into having a big track meet was thrown out the window.”
While the mood may have been lighter, that did not mean that Wolf-Donat took it less seriously.
“It felt like a practice, but it still meant something,” he said. “It was just a like a more competitive practice.”
The sophomore ended up going 5-5 to win the event, but said he knows he can jump much higher if he just cleans up his form.
“The end form, just bending and getting my legs over the bar. That’s really the only thing that kills me right now,” Wolf-Donat said. “I get way higher than what 5-5 and like what 5-7 is. I should be getting up to the higher heights. It’s just the last part of my form is what hurts me the most.”
To see complete meet results, click on the following link:
