Sam Mattis 2008 to 2012.avi

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Published 2012-05-16

Throwing the discus can be a thing of beauty. It takes years of hard work and dedication to become decent at it. it takes lifting when you want to relax, putting on gloves in 20 degree temperatures as long as the sun is out. It takes shaking off a bad day and focusing on technique, it takes loving it enough to sacrifice things you prefer to do in order to do what you need to do. I have enjoyed coaching and watching Sam develop as a thrower. More important is the fact that he's a great kid and stellar student. He's an even better son. To new throwers I say look at where he started and be patient. I hope you enjoy this tribute to an athlete who is still new to throwing and has much more to come . . .

All Comments (21)

@acez9728 7 years ago

wtf this guy was throwing 160s freshmen year? just brought all my hopes down, thought i was good
@devonallenfan 2 years ago

And now he's in the Olympics! Just wrapped up my sophomore year throwing 173'9''.
@iamMADLYFE 8 years ago

Really inspiring story man! I wish more middle schools would offer track and field so that it gives the athletes time to develop like Sam did, instead of trying to cram the art in 4 years of highschool with only one season a year. You could really tell how hungry he was to get to the top, AND his love for the sport! Congrats to you man! You deserve it big time!
@thehammerman123 11 years ago

Glad that you like it. The whole point of the video is to remind new throwers that it takes time and that no one sucks. It's all about loving the event deeply enough to stick with it for years. I was told it takes 10,000 hours at a task to become expert at it. Sam still has a long time to get there but he has committed himself to his craft and loves it.
@ibmaddie 8 years ago

Honestly my favorite progression video. You can tell how far he has truly come. Great job !
@loganpeters102 8 years ago

That's awesome! I'm in eighth grade and I've broken my middle school discus record this year. This is really inspiring, thanks for the video!
@DISCUSCHUCKER 10 years ago

Wow! That was great! I am amazed by how swift and clean his release is!
@jamesnewsom5899 1 year ago

Very fluid, great form! Really inspiring to watch the progression. I threw high school in New Jersey in the early 70s. Loved throwing, but didn’t really have any coaching. 67 years old now and still throwing for fun!
@peterreed8349 4 years ago

What a fantastic video! Awesome to see a young person discover they have an aptitude toward throwing... then take that to a world class level.
@ThrowinBombs80 12 years ago

truly inspirational video. i never wanted it to end. simply beautiful
@kuehl240 12 years ago

Keep Up the great work guys. Congratulations on an Awesome Year.
@colinhall4933 2 years ago

Ok so now hes qualified for the 2021 Olympics...wow man. Im so glad this all worked out for you
@thehammerman123 11 years ago

Thanks Adam. And thanks for all your help as well.
@grantterril4460 6 years ago

I’m just so amazed by the jump sam made from 8th grade to freshman year, that’s incredible to move to a heavier discus and throw 20 feet farther
@d.c.pthower7917 11 years ago

You are an amazing kid, I`m new to throwing, and i`m absolutely loving it right now, watching this video is a serious inspiration. Its made me even more determined to go far with throwing, and i hope you carry on working hard to. Keep it going, your a name to look out for.
@mariaconnors5632 7 years ago

We are wishing you all the best in the trials this week! You are a great guy and we know you can do it!
@poly1fg833 2 years ago

I remember watching this video back in high school and feeling so inspired to try to break some records at my high school. I didn’t get to practice enough back then and was more focused on football than discus/shot. This video did inspire me enough to win a lot of meets though, and I was close to breaking our school record, but not enough. Keep going Sam!
@revshadows7 11 years ago

thank you so much for posting this video, I'm a thrower as well and this is such a great motivation for me. i realize sam is a once in a few decades kind of talent, but i can at least see a great thrower inspire me to be the best thrower i can be.
@AJW166 3 years ago

Crazy that this video popped up on my suggested videos...looking at him now with a good chance of competing in the 2021 Olympics and all the progress he has made, crazy
@shaniylaj 8 years ago

Cool video, I liked seeing how his technique improved each year. I wish I would've got introduced to the sport earlier.