Columbus East’s Megan Tracy winds up to throw a discus during track and field practice at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, May 5, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Megan Tracy decided to pursue throwing the shot and discus three years ago and was glad she did.
The Columbus East senior began weightlifting when she got into high school, but when others mentioned about good weightlifters also doing well in throwing events like the discus and shot put, she decided to give them both a chance.
As the top thrower for the Olympians this year, she is looking for big results heading into tonight’s Hoosier Hills Conference girls meet at Jennings County and in next week’s sectional at Franklin.
“I fell in love right away with it. It was something that I’ve never done before. I’ve been playing volleyball for about 10 years,” Tracy said. “Jumping into a new sport was scary at first. I was trying new things when I came to high school.”
When she started throwing both the shot and discus, Tracy noticed that each one has its own unique set of challenges.
“Each throw is very different. They get grouped together a lot,” Tracy said. “It’s very important that you know the differences between the two when you start throwing because shot put is a lot more aggressive, and you have to have a lot of strength. Discus is more about your technique and having the finesse on the disc. The difference between the two is really interesting to me. I enjoyed it right away.”
Tracy said her improvement in the weight room is what led to her progression in both events, especially the shot put.
Tracy uses every opportunity she has to spend time in the weight room. She says she normally goes to the weight room seven times a week, sometimes being in there twice a day, and coupled with her weightlifting class at school. The time for each session can vary from close to 45 minutes or as long as 90 minutes.
“She works hard in the weight room. Her work ethic is off the charts. She’s willing to put forth all the effort she needs,” East throwing coach Jonathan Martin said. “When she came out as a sophomore, she knew nothing about discus or shot put. It was rough the first little bit, but she got it figured out and started clicking.”
Tracy has a season-best throw of 115 feet, 4 inches in the discus and a personal-best of 36-6 in the shot. Her career best throw in the discus was 116-6, which occurred last year in the dual meet against Columbus North.
“Her shot put has gone up two feet just this year,” Martin said. “She’s at the same point she was at last year in discus, so we’re hoping as soon as we get some warm weather that we’ll get over that hump and get it out there farther.”
Tracy spent the past decade playing volleyball, so it was nerve-racking to say the least when she first picked up a discus and a shot. She did not play volleyball as a senior year, and in the end, she was exciting that she gave another sport a chance.
Tracy won’t be finished with either sport when she graduates. She’s planning to compete in both volleyball and track and field at Tennessee Wesleyan starting in the fall.
“It wasn’t something that I necessarily think I was going to excel at right away. I found out it was a lot of fun because it is very individual. Any work you put into it, you’re going to see results out of it if you work hard enough,” Tracy said. “I’m really proud of myself for just challenging myself and trying something new because I was afraid to at first. I’m proud for jumping into something that I’ve never done before and really never knew about before. I’m proud of myself for starting something new and continuing to work in the offseason to get better at it, even though I didn’t even know it’d be something that I’d be good at.”
