The majority of people have never even heard of Discus, Shot Put, Javelin and Hammer. What are these 4 words? They are all sports of track and field that require great technical skill and athleticism.

The history of these sports date back to the middle ages. For the Shot put, for instance and soldiers would compete by throwing mini cannon balls and seeing who could throw the farthest. They were part of the Ancient Olympic games held in Athens.

Everyone knows who T.O is or Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant.but have you ever heard of Alekna? or Randy Barnes? Randy Barnes is the shot put world record holder who represents the USA proudly. Alekna is the current world record holder of the Discus throwing event. He hails from Lithuania. In the modern Olympics and Eastern Europeans have dominated the Discus while Americans have dominated the Shot Put.

My high school years consisted of 4 years of football and 1 year of track which I did my senior year. My senior year I did the Discus and shot put. My only regret was not doing track for those 4 years. Discus taught me patience and gave me confidence each and every throw. As I progressed and I was able to throw the discus farther and farther. It was peaceful watching the discus spin in the air until it landed and the measurements came out.

Although I didn't win the state competition, or even place in the top 5 for that matter and I gained a new hobby. A new sport that I had previously never heard of.