QUINTIN JAMES
Assistant Sports Editor
During the SUNYAC conference championship meet in Brockport, senior Damone Brown won the indoor shot put title and put himself closer to qualifying for the national meet for shot put next month.
His winning throw of 15.93 meters, 3 ¼ inches is a personal best for Brown and placed him 23rd among NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field participants.
The top 15 make it to the national competition next month, but this accomplishment was one that meant a lot to Brown.
In talking with Brown recently, he knows there’s still work to do, but this is a sign that all of his hard work is starting to pay off.
“It felt great to win at Brockport. It was a SUNYAC championship and I’ve been training hard, so this is definitely a confidence booster,” said Brown.
He stressed the importance of what qualifying for nationals would mean to him, and he mentioned the key to success is to not change anything.
“Just focusing on my technique and not changing it. I have to stay out of my own head. It’s time to work and I know what I got to do,” he said.
Brown pointed to a change of technique last year as one of the main keys to his improvement from junior year. Besides changing his technique a little, Brown’s pregame routine stays the same.
“The night before, I like to go to bed early after looking at my own tapes to see what I can improve on,” he said. “I also watch Olympians throw as well.”
The combination of watching tapes of elite shot putters throwing, and looking at his own tapes to see what he can improve on, is his recipe for success.
Brown said he got emotional after the meet when realizing that his hard work was paying off.
“Things definitely got emotional on the podium. I worked really hard to get here and it took a lot of patience,” he said. “I never really won meets in high school, so this win was huge.”
Brown beat out seven Brockport participants to earn the victory, which was another accomplishment in its own right. The mission is nationals and the work continues for him to qualify, but this victory by Brown at Brockport was something he won’t forget for a long time.