An idea moves forward into reality...
The inaugural Colorado Festival of Throws will be held at La Junta High School on Friday, May 30.
For an entry fee of $20, high school aged throwers are invited to come to La Junta and join in a celebration of the throwing events. Both male and female athletes are invited. Events contested will include shot put, discus, and javelin. Events will start at 10 AM at the throwing venue at La Junta High School. Shot put and discus will be contested in the established throwing areas at La Junta's Tiger Stadium. Javelin will be contested on the outfield of the baseball field. Regular high school implements will be the implements used. Implements must be weighed in prior to competition.
Why La Junta? Well, several reasons, actually.
- La Junta is excited to host the event. Any great event requires an eager host. In this case, La Junta is the eager host. An event like this is a considerable undertaking, and La Junta has embraced the idea.
- La Junta has, without question, one of the best throwing venues in the state. Included in the setup are warm-up circles for throwers preparing for their turns.
- Eastern Colorado has a long and proud tradition of producing several of Colorado's best throwers.
- The rings at La Junta are not slick, as some collegiate rings tend to be, and are suitable for high school level competition.
Competitors will need to bring their own implements and be ready to throw when their flight is up. Flights will be published in advance of the meet on Colorado Track XC. Online registration will also be available through Colorado Track XC and will be set up soon.
We've done our level best to find a day with minimum conflicts yet still keeping it close to the state-sanctioned season so that throwers will still be sharp when the event takes place. May 23 and May 24 had way too many graduations going on to be a weekend worthy of consideration. The weekend of June 6 and 7 conflicts with Great Southwest (though this would be a great meet to keep your skills tuned if you plan to go on down to Great Southwest).
Additional information is forthcoming shortly, but I'm getting this information out to you know so that you can reserve the spot on your calendars.