Clutch. Kai Barber has insisted that he is “clutch” and will perform in high pressure situations. He is competitive on the football field, in the throwing circle, during pick-up basketball, and playing Fortnite; he insists he will come through when needed. His ability to perform under pressure was on display during the last three weeks of the indoor season. Not that I doubted him, but he reminded me at the indoor conference meet during the weight throw. After fouling his first throw and a lackluster second throw, he had a big personal record throw to make finals.
On the second day of the MIAC Indoor Championship, Kai was disappointed in his shot performance. He placed fifth (15.90m, 52’2”) behind four athletes who were ranked in the top-twenty in NCAA Division 3. Not bad company, but not a result to satisfy Kai.
We spent the following week leading up to the last chance meet working on some technical changes; mainly his posture at the start of the throw and movement in the middle of the circle. He worked hard that week and hit some big throws during practice that made us optimistic going into the last chance meet. In another clutch performance, Kai executed well on his first throw and hit a PR of 16.05 (52’8”) to move him into twentieth place in the country and earn a spot at the National Championships.
The NCAA Division 3 National Championships were in Boston. Both Kai and I were confident he would throw well. After an uneventful travel day, we had two days to get a feel for the circle, work on technique, do some sightseeing, and watch some Will Smith “One Strange Rock.” His practice throws went well all week and he was ready.
On Saturday, the meet officials walked the throwers to the track and introduced them to the crowd. Kai’s warmup throws for the first flight were good: smooth and relaxed. First throw, Kai’s posture was poor at the start, he dropped his shoulder in the middle, and threw a lackluster 15.43 (50’7”). A couple other throwers had good throws and Kai was up for his second throw. This throw was worse. It was an overly aggressive start and off balance through the middle of the circle for 14.99 (49’2”). No worries on Kai’s face. He simply said he needed to slow the start of the throw and have a good finish. Clutch again! He nailed his final throw for a big personal record of 16.29 (53’5.5”). He finished the day in tenth place and placed higher than all but one of the other MIAC throwers.
I am more than pleased with Kai’s performance as his indoor PR improved 1.14 meters over the season and bettered his outdoor PR by 28 centimeters. Pretty good for an athlete who was unable to throw for over two years due to shoulder surgery. He is determined to keep improving during the outdoor season and I am excited to see what happens.