Arvada – Faith Christian’s Ian Lettow wears his genes when throwing the discus and shot put.
And after Lettow’s performance at the Frederick Pow Wow track and field meet last Saturday, every kid in the state would do the same – if he or she could.
Lettow, a third-generation thrower in his junior year for the Eagles, finished second in both events at the Class 3A state meet as a sophomore last spring. At the Pow Wow, he launched a throw of 175 feet, 9 1/4 inches in the discus that was a classification all-time best, according to the state handbook. His effort in the shot put wasn’t too shabby, either: 55-11. The distance in the shot put would have given him a state title in any classification last season, and his discus throw would have put him behind only 5A’s best.
“I’m not inviting him back again; that kid’s an animal,” Frederick athletic director Kris Keith joked.
According to Keith, Lettow nearly threw the discus over the fence.
“I had been throwing in the 170s pretty consistently in practice the week before the (Pow Wow),” Lettow said of his effort in the discus.
And did he know how good his throws were at the Pow Wow before they even landed?
“Oh, yeah. I could feel it ripping in my pecs,” he said.
Standing 6-feet-3 with a 79-inch wingspan does not hurt when it comes to the discus, and putting on 25 pounds of muscle in the weight room does not hurt in the shot. But what really has helped is Lettow’s genes.
Kris Lettow, Ian’s father and throwing coach at Faith Christian, was a standout prep thrower in California before becoming an All-American at UCLA in 1981. He competed in the Olympic Trials. Ian’s grandfather, J.C. Lettow, was an Iowa high school state champion in the early 1950s.
J.C. taught Kris, Kris taught Ian, and it is working.
“I can’t tell you how much fun I’m having,” said Kris Lettow, whose daughter, Adrienne, will be a freshman thrower for the Eagles next school year. “For me to be the coach during my son’s senior year and daughter’s freshman year would be pretty special.”
Kris Lettow put the discus in Ian’s hand in seventh grade, and with his first throw in his first meet as a freshman, Ian broke the school record. He was the top seed going into the 3A state meet that year, but inexperience, coupled with a slick throwing ring, dropped him into the middle of the pack.
“There was a heavy load of expectations on me as a freshman, and I don’t think I handled it in the most mature way,” Ian said.
As a sophomore, Ian led Patrick Berg of La Junta heading into the last throw of the discus only to finish second by 13 inches. This season, however, Ian is his own top competition and will have to “manufacture his own adrenaline,” as his dad said.
That does not sound like a problem for a humble, faith- based Ian.
“I get excited for big meets and little meets. When the focus is about throwing and not about how good everyone else is, it makes you better,” Ian said.
Ian also gets a push from fellow Faith Christian junior Brandon Mathis, another top 3A thrower.
But at least one outside observer said Ian’s success can be attributed as much to his ability and coaching as it can to his positive and grounded attitude.
“I’d hate to jinx him, but the sky’s the limit as long as it comes down to Ian, the athlete himself. … A lot of young athletes can get cocky because they have never had that kind of attention. But there is a way to carry yourself and Ian does it,” said Milton Girouard, an Aurora resident who was a national Masters (age 40-44) throwing champion in 2003.
Girouard keeps up with today’s prep throwers and frequently attends meets. As a matter of fact, Girouard was there the past Saturday exclusively to watch Lettow, although the veteran makes the rounds across the state.
“The main thing is that Ian is an example for all athletes to see that there are kids doing it the right way,” Girouard said.
