Cole Tucker Throwing for Gold
with Sights Set Further
What Cole Tucker accomplishes in the shot
put circle is a direct result of the work he
put in prior to the competition.
“I think what you do at a meet is a reection
of what you did leading up to it,” the Colts Neck
junior said.
After a breakout outdoor season in both the
shot put and discus last spring, Tucker realized that
to continue improving, he had to make a full-time
commitment.
“After the spring season, I kept throwing on my
own,” Tucker said. “I knew I needed to throw every day.”
Over the summer, Tucker turned to personal
trainer Jon Kalnas for help. As a three-time All-American,
Kalnas was one of the leading collegiate throwers
in the country when he starred at Monmouth
University. He has since been one of the most popular
throwing coaches for Shore athletes.
Under Kalnas’ tutelage, Tucker improved his
personal best in the shot put to 54 feet over the
summer.
When school opened in the fall, Tucker wasn’t
waiting around for the indoor season to begin. He
was working out up to two hours a day in the gym,
lifting, doing agility drills and plyometric exercises.
Colts Neck Head Coach Jim Schlentz noted that
Tucker is an example of someone who has pushed
himself to be a top thrower, to dominate competition.
“He has made himself this good,” said Schlentz.
“He decided he wanted to get good at throwing and
he threw all fall. Throwing is year-round, not seasonal
for him.”
The year-round commitment has turned the Cougar junior into a
champion this winter. He entered the season with an indoor personal best
of 41-11 ¾. The 2019-20 campaign has been one of daily personal and
school records. Tucker tossed the12-pound steel ball 51-11 in his rst meet
back in December and steadily improved that record to 57-5. Along the way,
he has broken the school record, now his, four times, and his 56-9 ¾ throw
won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship.
“I didn’t make the nals at the section last year,” Tucker said. “It was
really cool to win it, a lot of fun.”
Along with all his school records, Tucker has shown what a true competitor
Colts Neck High School’s Cole Tucker improved his indoor best in the shot put by more 15 feet this winter
he is. He has been at his best in the championship meets. Three of
his records have come in his three biggest meets. After his Central Jersey
triumph, he reached 57-3 ½ at the Eastern States Championships where he
placed fourth and earned the same spot when he unleashed his 57-5 at the
Group IV state championships.
“I try not to put too much pressure on myself,” the Cougar thrower
said. “In competition I like to get a good throw early and go for it.”
Although he’s 6 feet tall and 235 pounds, Tucker refutes the notion
that throwers are just big people who rely on their strength alone. He’ll tell
14 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY TIM MORRIS | Photo by John Nepolitan
and won the Central Jersey Group III championship.
you, he and his peers are athletes.
“It’s very athletic,” Tucker explained. “You have to get your speed down
and move fast. It’s very dynamic athletically, very technical.”
Footwork is essential inside the circle, and throwers need moves of a
ballet dancer, to be light on their feet.
The success Tucker has enjoyed this winter has made working out that
much easier.
“I enjoy it. Every day is exciting,” he beamed. “Setting personal bests
gets the adrenalin going.”
Having reached 57 feet this winter, Tucker is already thinking of the
60-foot mark.
“I know there’s a big one out there,” he said. “I’m prepared.”
The shot put, however, is not what got Tucker into track and eld. He
started out in eighth grade throwing the discus. In high school, he picked up
the shot put during the indoor season because the discus is only contested
outdoors. Last spring, Tucker made signicant improvement in the discus,
too, reaching 138-5. He has a school record as a goal as well as becoming a
dual threat, one of the state’s best two-way shot put/discus throwers.
/TheJournalNJ.com