NOLAN VAN AMEN
By Terry Mosher
Editor, Sports Paper
Most don’t know it, but barring the unexpected, this area is seeing the growth of a track and field athlete who down the road could break into national headlines, and maybe even some day crash the Olympic games’ party.
Nolan Van Amen, who will be a freshman this fall at Cedar Heights Junior High, but will compete in football and track and field at South Kitsap High (a decision made recently by the SK School District is allowing freshman to compete at the high school starting in September), has already set a USATF National Junior record in the discus, and is just over a week away from competing in the National Junior Olympics at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C that is set for July 24-28.
The six-foot-1, 200-pound Van Amen this past weekend in Eugene competed in the Track City International Classic at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon and spun the discus 204 feet, 11 inches to set a national age group (13-14) record. He earlier threw the shot put (8.8 pound-shot) 60 feet, three inches, breaking the meet record that was set back in 1995.
A week ago at the Region 13 Junior Olympics, Van Amen set regional marks in the discus (192-0) and shot put (61-3).
“It’s incredible, “says Gerald Van Amen of the improvement this son has shown in the past few weeks in both events, especially the discus, which is the same size (1k) that is thrown at the local junior highs. The shot put is .8k heavier than the junior high shot put.
Eric Grieve, his coach at Cedar Heights the past two years, is equally impressed.
“The discus was on Sunday (at Hayward Field), and due to a large number of late entries the meet was running way behind,” Grieve said. “As a result they moved the boys 13-14 discus off the infield to the ring just behind the scoreboard on the southwest end of the stadium area.
“This was a little disappointing as Nolan was the best thrower from all levels at the competition. As it turned out, it was probably a blessing in disguise. On his third throw he set a personal best of 196 feet. On his fifth throw, he knew he really hit it and when the measurement was put up a number of parents and other coaches, as my wife and I, called to the officials to hold everything for the mark beat the national record. His throw of 204-11 bested the previous record, set in 1995, by more than three feet.”
Grieve added Van Amen is within two feet of the national shot put record, and expects he might get the record at nationals.
There are two athletes from Texas who have thrown in the 195-foot range in the discus and around 58 feet in the shot put, so Van Amen will have competition at nationals, although he goes in as the favorite in his age division in both the shot put and discus.
Van Amen has been lifting weights at home and for the past month has joined the South Kitsap football team in lifting at the school, which has gotten him stronger.
Gerald Van Amen says he has worked with his son on maintaining a sold mental approach. He doesn’t let his son get bigheaded or to be intimated by others during competition.
“I talk to him about having to choose you attitude, and what you believe,” says Gerald Van Amen. “He’s kind of bought into it. He’s got good confidence, but he is mindful of all that psychological stuff other kids might bring.”
Next spring when Van Amen competes for South Kitsap he will step up to a new level because the shot put will be 12 pounds and the discus will be about two pounds heavier. But dad isn’t too worried about the change because his son has already thrown the high school discus 160 feet and the high school shot put 49 feet in practice.
Dad is thinking his son will be able to compete for state titles as a freshman, but that may be getting too far ahead of the story. But there is little doubt that barring something unforeseen Nolan Van Amen may break into a lot of headlines in the coming years.
