The Ring: Just Staying in the Flow

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EUGENE, Ore. – The intent was to keep Friday as much as a normal workday as possible, despite the location.

Sleeping in a hotel instead of her own bed and working out at Lane Community College, the discus she was throwing landing into an open field. Meaningless details when it comes to the intent.

"I had a rough day today as far as not feeling the same things I've been feeling in rings," Colorado State's Klaire Kovatch said. "Plus, I'm dealing with having a cold and day five of being out here. Also, it's not the meet day, so it doesn't really matter how today goes. It was just good to get in there. I felt very consistent out of the back, so that was encouraging I could hit that every time."

She will make her second appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, competing in the discus on Thursday. She got a good look of Hayward Field on Wednesday, then really absorbed the energy Friday when teammates Kajsa Borrman and Mya Lesnar competed. It was an energy which naturally jumped to another level when Lesnar won the shot put title.

The goal for the day prior is to stay warm and loose, performance aside. And even though her throws weren't perfect, she insisted she wouldn't overthink what it may or may not mean, with a plan to keep herself busy to avoid falling into the abyss.

Part of the plan was spending time with family and watching the men compete on their final day, anything but hang around in a hotel room where her mind could wander to bad places. Besides, she's a fan of the sport, so why wouldn't she want to watch the best compete.

"There are a lot of inspiring performances. There are people I've been following throughout the year," she said. "It's sort of, hey, this school has this really good runner, and we should go watch them. It's fun."

Kovatch will be in the opening flight when the women's discus begins Friday 1:30 p.m. (MT), throwing second in the order.

Getting Started

Kovatch wasn't alone at the warmup site, about 10 of the throwers moving in and out of the ring. As they prepare their motion, they all have their own nuances as how to go about it. Where they set their feet, how they hold the discus.

For the Colorado State junior, it's been a process of trial and error, one which has led her back to her starting point as a prep.

"I try to keep my start very simple, that way it's repeatable," she said. "I've messed around with a narrow stance, wide stance, but regardless of whether I have narrow or wide stance, always toe out. I've found that helped me get off the back the best."

She started out the season going narrow, thinking it would be easier to get out over the left, but found a wider base was better. Which is what she was doing back in high school. Once she's triggered in the ring, it's a quick lick of the fingers, get her grip right, hold the disc back and go.

It's a matter of feel for each thrower, all of them looking for their own comfort. For the most part CSU coach Brian Bedard doesn't get involved unless he feels he if forced to insert a hard stop, quick to point out a few he would change as soon as they walked on campus.

Golden Congratulations

Bedard spent Thursday in the coaches are with a few of the shot put competition from behind, along with other coaches, one of whom he had recruited back in the day with local ties and was quick to congratulate him on Lesnar's title.

Valarie Allman, who graduated from Silver Creek High School in Longmont. The lady who broke the Colorado state high school record in the discus previously held by CSU Hall of Famer Shelly Borrman. A person who has gone on to win the gold medal in the discus in the past two Olympic Games.

"She follows the program. We recruited her out of high school as a Colorado kid, so there was a connection there," Bedard said. "She's always been friendly to our athletes. We've stayed connected a little bit at different meets, so that was pretty cool."

Allman, who attended Stanford, now trains in Austin, Texas and is a volunteer assistant coach for the Longhorns.

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Kajsa Borrman

Klaire Kovatch

Mya Lesnar

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