Track and field is a so-called individual sport but that doesn’t mean it’s a solitary, selfish pursuit. Plenty of track athletes, like Malaki Seanoa and Bobby Rodgers, are more than happy to offer a helping hand.
Seanoa and Rodgers, both throwers, are state meet-bound seniors on the Everett High School track and field team. Seanoa qualified for the Class 3A state championships in the javelin, Rodgers in the discus.
The three-day 3A state meet — along with the 2A and 4A state meets — is today through Saturday at Mount Tahoma High in Tacoma.
As highly ranked state qualifiers, Everett’s Seanoa and Rodgers are among the most successful athletes at their school. Yet neither one is self-obsessed. In fact, they have gone out of their way to mentor others.
“One neat thing about both of them,” Everett boys track coach Doug Hall said, “is they are amazing with the younger kids. They spend as much time helping the younger kids as they do working on themselves.”
This spring Rodgers, ranked No. 4 in 3A with a season-best discus throw of 167 feet, 10 inches, regularly assisted teammates Andrew Dickson, a sophomore, and Luke Frauenholtz, a junior.
“It’s nice watching them progress,” Rodgers said. “You’re telling them what to do and they’re doing it, and you see them improving so you know that you’re doing something right. It’s a really good feeling.”
Teaching others also made Rodgers a better thrower. It helped him get back to basics, he said. That mentality convinced Rodgers to tweak his own discus technique a few days before the Wesco North championships.
Generally, changing your method late in the season is a bad idea. But it worked for Rodgers. He significantly slowed down his windup and … bam! Rodgers launched his season-best throws in back-to-back weeks at the league and district meets, eclipsing his previous best by 10 feet.
“It’s easier for me to picture a (great) throw now that I know what it feels like and what it should look like,” said Rodgers, who based on district results is seeded second for the 3A state discus, which starts at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Seanoa is seeded second in the 3A javelin, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday. After placing seventh last year, he said he is aiming for a top-two finish. Seanoa’s season-best of 200-11 is, in addition to being a school record, the best 3A throw this season, according to Athletic.net. His No. 2 seeding for state is based on his district-title-winning throw of 195-4.
Seanoa, who has received recruiting interest from Washington State University and Eastern Washington University, plans to enjoy the state experience more this time. Last year, he went in as the favorite but said he was psyched out by then-senior Robert Hintz of Bellevue, who put on a show and set the meet record (211-0), winning by 20 feet.
“I think that I was a little too serious and a little too hard on myself (in 2009),” Seanoa said, “so I guess I’m just going to try to have a good time.”
Like Rodgers, Seanoa had fun mentoring younger Seagulls teammates this season and, ironically, his selfless acts helped him get better.
“If I see a kid doing something wrong,” said Seanoa, “I just kind of look at it and think, ‘Wait. I’ve noticed I’ve been doing that, too.’ It gives me time to reflect on the way I’ve been training and I can correct that.”
On Friday, Seanoa and Rodgers will apply all of their lessons and try to earn a lofty spot on the awards podium.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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