second place in D I S C

Yesterday and today, we were on the road to Russelsheim- about an hour away. One of the things I really love about our boys competing in sports in the opportunity for away games and meets. It's such a great way to see and learn the area. I felt the same way in Kansas. Competing with other smaller schools, it was always a little bit of a drive. That's how I learned south central Kansas- and loved it.

Here, it's even more cool jumping on the Autobahn with long stretches without a speed limit. Beautiful scenery, new things to see and lots of old churches along the way {my favorite} it was such a pleasant day. Temperatures in the 80's with lots of sunshine made it even more delightful! I know it was hot for those amazing athletes, but getting a little sun makes me feel so much better.

We couldn't be more proud of Justin this weekend as he competed in the European Championships for track. For disc, he placed second overall {out of all DoDDS schools in Europe} and earned a silver medal.

Going in to the meet, his qualifying throw was 121 feet, 1 inch which placed him seventh out of eleven guys who qualified. The first place seed threw over 140 feet and went on to win first place this weekend. An impressive athlete, we learned he is actually going to Emporia State {KS} in the fall- small world! How crazy would it be for Justin and him to have their paths cross in the future?

Back to disc- for the first round of throwing, he threw around 118 feet or so. He was consistently throwing 130 feet this week in practice, so I was a bit stressed- knowing he was falling way short. He watched a video last week and changed up his throwing technique {adding a bigger step} which really helped add a little distance.

Yesterday, I learned that he was just holding back a little to save his energy and strength for his final throws which he did. His best throw was 128 feet, 4 inches. What a happy boy.
Another coach commented to Jim today {after he asked who our kid was} that Justin came out of no where and created a bit of an upset. Knowing the athlete from Napels {Italy} was super talented, Justin went in focused on achieving second place. I don't think he's ever been felt so satisfied even coming in second. He now has a great goal ahead of him for next year.

Today was shot put, which he didn't do quite as well. Still to qualify and compete makes us so proud. Next year, we want to see Ty qualify as well... then they can both go out there and get it.

Here's the link for DoDDS sports... http://www.stripes.com/sports/europe/dodds-europe-track-highlights-day-1-1.144038