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Fortney wheeling and dealing in the discus
Fortney wheeling and dealing in the discus
Fauquier's region runner up heads into states on a roll
By Jeff Malmgren
Times-Democrat Staff Writer
If Kyle Fortney's theory for a successful discus throw is sound, the Fauquier High track and field team may want to pamper him a bit this week as the Group AAA state meet approaches.
"Throwing is all about what kind of mood you’re in," Fortney said Friday during the Northwest Region meet at the University of Virginia's Lannigan Field. "It’s just a mindset....I’m in that zone."
He's been there since May 15, when he won a Cedar Run District championship in the discus with a personal-best mark of 142 feet, 4 inches.
He nearly matched that at regionals with a runner-up throw of 141-10, while Liberty throwers Whitney Carter and Janae Garnett impressed with top-10 finishes in the girls shot put.
Fortney wasted no time locking up that discus runner-up spot.
One of his first preliminary throws of the day was his best and it set him apart from the rest of the field along with winner Marcus Burwell of Franklin County (148-05).
Having the security of a 141-10 throw, he scratched twice in the finals while trying to milk extra distance out of his disc.
"Towards the end he was trying to force it a bit, but he was already in second place," FHS coach Quentin Jones said. "It’s nice when you get a good throw early — take a little pressure off your back."
Jones speculated that one of Fortney's scratch throws went more than 146 feet, which is impressive considering the Fauquier sophomore's best throw prior to districts was 135 feet. It also bodes well for states, as does the fact that Fortney didn't feel his best Friday.
"My release just didn’t feel great all day," he said. "If I got my release I would have got another five, six feet."
Fortney also made significant strides during the 2007 postseason. He improved upon his then-personal-record by nine feet at regionals with a 119-foot throw and finished 10th.
Since then, his success can't be solely credited to a mood conducive to throwing well. Fortney has worked on his spin in the shot put — topping his personal-best mark by six feet, but not advancing to regionals — which has helped his discus throwing, as well. His agility has also been an asset.
“Mainly it’s just my flexibility," said the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Fortney, also a wide receiver and linebacker on the FHS football team. "You see all these big guys out here doing it — just trying to muscle it, and I just try to emphasize my flexibility as much as I can."
Meanwhile, Liberty's Garnett set a personal-record (95-10) in the girls discus, finishing 11th in front of Carter (24th; 68-10). But Carter bettered Garnett in the shot put, crushing her personal best by four feet with a throw of 35 feet.
Carter advanced to state with that fifth-place effort, while Garnett took eighth in the discus with a personal-best mark of 33-09.
"Whitney just blew up," LHS coach Dan Thompson said. "That’s a surprise to throw that big of a PR [personal record].
"They’ve been working all season on certain things — the five phases of the throw — and then they all come together."
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