Greg Schultz had a few reasons he chose Concordia University in Portland over Central Washington University. Concordia boasted a better coach, better facilities and the private Christian school is more prestigious.
And Schultz is planning to be a biology student, and Concordia provides a better program for his major. The Centralia High School graduate will also be focusing on his track and field career, especially the hammer throw.
"I was being recruited by Central and Western Washington, and Western and Eastern Oregon," Schultz said. "I also talked to the University of Washington coach."
Schultz, who is ranked 18th nationally, is leaving for Concordia today where he has received a $12,000 scholarship to throw for new Concordia throwing coach Mac Wilkins, who is a two-time gold medalist and also a three-time silver medalist in four different Olympic games in throwing events, most prominently the discus.
Concordia is an NAIA Division III school in Northeast Portland.
"However well I throw, I can compete in more competitive meets," Schultz said. "It looks good so far. Hopefully you'll see me in some big meets."
Schultz started throwing the hammer in the ninth grade and focused more attention on the event after his sophomore year with the Tigers.
"My dad met with a guy named Dwight Midles who was a big hammer guy that went to Washington State. He made the Olympic team in 1980," Schultz said. "He started coaching my sister, and I tagged along and learned on the side. I picked it up because I'm pretty athletic. I could do the turns easily."
High schools don't have hammer throw as an event, but Centralia has a hammer cage behind the football field.
"Centralia School District is very supportive of hammer," said John Schultz, Greg's dad and head football coach and a track coach for the Tigers. "The hammer is thrown in nine major invitationals in the state of Washington. Rhode Island is the only state to have hammer as a high school event."
Schultz has been throwing the 12-pound hammer and will move up to the 16-pounder at Concordia. His best throw in a meet was 189-5 and John said he can throw in the 190s.
With the 16-pound hammer, Schultz has a personal best toss of 146-2.
"I can be an All-American with a throw of 170," Schultz said. "I'm already throwing 150 at practice. I can improve another 20 feet. It comes pretty fast especially with a good coach."
The hammer throw takes a combination of strength and technique.
"You have to have a little more body strength. You have to counter so the ball doesn't throw you around," Schultz said.
Schultz said the sport deals with a lot of little adjustments that can make you throw for more distance.
"A lot of feet work. Keeping your feet tight and head up. There is a lot of little things and a lot of finesse," Schultz said. "Keeping your shoulders shrugged or not shrugged makes a difference."
The workout program begins today at Concordia for Schultz, who said he has adopted more of a European-style of hammer throw because he tall and lanky, compared to many of the Americans throwers who are round and bulky.
"I think more people are starting to throw like the Europeans," Schultz said.
Schultz will also throw the javelin at Concordia.
"This year I threw a 151 in the javelin. I had a down season. Last year I threw 156-11 and was in the 160s in the summer," he said. "I really didn't have a lot of coaching in the javelin and I was devoting all my time to the hammer. I was always doing drills. I threw the javelin on the side."
Centralia has two other hammer throwers
Centralia sophomore Jordan Stray won the intermediate boys hammer throw at Eastern Washington University at the Junior Olympics Region 13 meet. He went to the National Junior Olympic meet in Indianapolis on July 29.
Stray's best throw this year was 192-8 and he's ranked 16th nationally. He is ranked third in his age group.
Ty Lindgren, also from Centralia, placed third at the Eastern meet.
