Well, indoors is now done and another successful year. It is funny how things happen, with my new blessing coming a month early, baby girl Marina, and having to take basically 2 1/2 weeks off of training due to her being up in the NICU in Akron. I only got less than 1000 throws in by this point but really after talking with Jud, it works for me now. I keep a little more intensity with my throws so it is truthfully the quality over the quantity. Now going on 13 years training the hammer full time, I finally really can focus on little things to make the ball go far... I mean as focused as I can be with 2 kids, wife, and a full time job as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Ashland University.
It is still funny when I go to Indoors and people still ask me why I keep on throwing the weight since it hurts the form in the hammer. To those I say- throw it the same way. On my best technical years I have felt the exact same things in the hammer and the weight and have done both well. The biggest thing is I do not throw one just exclusively. I throw both all year round- throwing the weight all year helps keep my specific strength up and I truly believe helps me with my sitting harder against the ball. It is like heavy hammers on steroids. I throw the hammer during weight season to make sure I feel patience in the throw and make sure I am keeping the timing so I can make World and Olympic Teams...considering the weight is not a recognized event in World Indoors. So no Sopot, Poland for me. But I truthfully think both have benefits for each other.
So off to Outdoor Season I go. I will travel with the AU throwers down to South Carolina for the Weems Baskins meet at the University of South Carolina, which has been always a great place for us to go to get away from Ohio for a bit. Then these are some more tentative meets that I will be going to:
Sea Ray Relays April 10th
Jesse Owens April 19th
AU alumni meet. April 25th
Tucson Elite. End of May, Always one of my favorite meets of the year
Well, I hope all is well with everyone and I will try to keep you all updated and thank you all for the support.
A.G. Kruger
PS- I just found out some news about a fellow Iowan and hammer competitor, Mike Mai, who has just been diagnosed with cancer and if you could all keep him and his family in your prayers with his fight against this.
