Solon throwers are going long

SOLON -- When you attend the Wymer School of Throwing, you become stronger. You become technically sound. You become passionate.

You become very, very good, and your diploma might well be a state championship.

That was the story at Iowa City West. It's now the racket at Solon. And it could be the destiny for Dalton Ferguson and Shelby Gunnells.

"When you throw for (Brad) Wymer, who's so passionate about his work, it rubs off on you," said Ferguson, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound mountain of a young man who is flirting with a 60-foot shot-put effort.

Gunnells said, "In Wymer, we have one of the best throwing coaches in the state, if not the country."

It's not a stretch to figure Solon could sweep the shot put championships next week at the Drake Relays. Ferguson, a senior who will walk on with the University of Iowa football team in the fall, stands atop the boys' state chart at 59 feet, 9 1/4 inches. Gunnells, a junior, is No. 3 among the girls at 41-4 1/2.

"We kind of have the perfect situation here," said Mark Sovers, the boys' head coach. "Of course, we put a lot of emphasis on our weight, strength and conditioning program. And the kids have access to Wymer, who has a tradition of producing great throwers. He takes pride in that, and so do the kids."

Wymer, along with Joe Hanes, give Solon's throwers an advantage. But the throwers still have to listen, to absorb and to perform. And they do.

Ferguson was a Class 3A shot put runner-up (and was sixth in the discus) last year. Gunnells was part of a 1-2 state finish, behind now-graduated Kara Misel, in the shot.

"I'm really happy with the way my season has gone so far," Ferguson said. "I want to go out with a bang. To do that, I need to concentrate on the little things with my technique -- where my feet are going, whether my left arm is wrapped the right way."

Ferguson is a big boy, yes. But size alone doesn't get it done.

"He's an even-keeled kid that doesn't get too high or too low," Sovers said. "When you look at him, yeah, he's a big guy. But he's also one of the better athletes we've had here, and sometimes that gets overlooked. He has very quick feet, and that serves him well."

According to girls' coach Brent Sands, the light bulb went on for Gunnells last season.

"It really opened her eyes, as far as how good she can be," Sands said. "She learned, 'Hey, I've got some pretty good potential here,' and dialed it up a notch with her offseason training."

The results have been obvious.

"My technique is a lot better," she said. "And I'm a lot more explosive."

Gunnells said a potential Solon sweep in the Drake shot "would be huge. When Kara and I went 1-2 at state last year, that was awesome. This would be just as special."

Ferguson also is rated third in the boys discus, and has big numbers on his mind -- 65 feet in the shot, 160-plus in the discus -- before the season ends. But it's the intangibles that he cherishes most.

"I really don't go for the accolades and the hype," he said. "If I happen to win the discus and the shot at state, that would be awesome. But the thing I'll remember most is all the new people and the coaches I've met."