Shae W.

I have been a high school throws coach for 1 year in Ohio (Fremont Saint Joseph Central Catholic) and 3 years in Virginia (Wakefield High School) as well as a freelance consultant to coaches and athletes from both states for 5 years. I typically provide instruction to Junior High and High School athletes, but have worked privately with a handful of adult and collegiate athletes. I have several certifications from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) including Accredited Interscholastic Coach, NFHS Coach Level 1, and NFHS Coach Level 2.

I began competing in the throws event in 4th grade at the USATF Junior Olympic level. Through High School (Arcadia, OH) I set the school record in both shot put and discus, set the Blanchard Valley Conference record in discus, the District record in discus, was State Runner-Up back to back years in discus, and placed in the top 10 at New Balance Nationals in the discus. I attended college at the University of Notre Dame and competed in the ACC from 2016-2020. During this time I was a 7 time ACC tournament qualifier (shot put, weight throw, hammer, and discus), Notre Dame all time top 10 list in discus, and Eastern Region qualifier in discus. May have been inducted into the Arcadia High School Hall of Fame for Track & Field as well as being rewarded the University of Notre Dame Monogram 4 times. I now compete as an unattached Master at various open meets throughout the country.

A typical training session will begin with stretches and event specific warmups to prevent injury. Depending upon the athletes needs/focus (shot put, discus, hammer) coming into the session, rotational or gliding drills will occupy the first portion of technical instruction, allowing the athletes to make adjustments prior to the use of a throwing implement. Once adequate warmup and event specific drills have been completed, the athlete will begin with the basic power position throw and advance to a full throw at a pace that is appropriate for the athletes skill level, knowledge, performance, and execution during the session. During the throwing segment of the session, I provide specific coaching cues to help adjust the athletes technique, delivery of the implement, power vectors, speed, etc. If additional drills are necessary for the athlete to make corrections to a cue, I provide demonstration and/or video of the drill and will have the athlete execute the drill then transition the drill into a throw. Especially with the throwing events, sessions and instruction is highly individualized based on the athlete as each athletes success is variable upon their physical capabilities and restrictions.