HIGHLANDS RANCH — Haley Showalter is a world-class hammer thrower in track and field. But she can’t compete in that event for Valor Christian because it’s not offered in Colorado. The senior has been relegated to traveling out of state for any meaningful competition.
Rhode Island has the hammer throw as a sanctioned prep event, and a few others such as Washington, Oregon, Georgia and Ohio have competitions for it but don’t recognize it.
The high cost of throwing cages and lack of coaches are factors.
So what’s a Colorado girl to do?
“It’s weird, yeah,” Showalter said. “It’s pretty frustrating, because it’s my best event. I enjoy it. I wish I could throw it at high school meets and at state.
“But I’ve come to do it on my own outside of high school, practice just on our time.”
Showalter throws with her father, Tom Menting, also the Eagles’ throws coach. Even practicing can draw attention and odd looks for a female competitor who spins repeatedly before hurling a metal ball hooked to a chain well into the air.
“They’ll see her,” Menting said, “stop and watch, and go: ‘Whoa, that is really cool! You have to check this out!’ “
Showalter, who’s 5-foot-11, 175 pounds and a strong performer in the weight room, is worth the look.
Within the past year, her hammer throw of 193 feet, 4 inches, ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in her age group. Her personal record of 155-8 in the discus put her among the best in the nation, and her 41-3 outdoors in the shot put will keep her in the state chase. Indoors, Showalter threw 57-11¾ in the weight throw at the prestigious Simplot Games.
Showalter competed for the U.S. in the Youth Olympic Games in China and qualified for the level’s World Championship Games in Eugene, Ore. And on Saturday, she easily won the 18th Mullen Runners Roost Invitational with an effort of 152-8 in the discus.
“She’s an outstanding young lady, just a sweetheart,” Valor Christian track and field coach Brian Kula said. “And she wears makeup when she throws. She said throwing’s kind of manly and she’s trying to make it a little more feminine.”
Said 30-year Mullen coach John Hancock, “Watching her for four years has been impressive.”
At the suggestion of her father, who competed in the hammer throw at Wisconsin-Lacrosse, Showalter gave the hammer throw, which has been likened to a medieval weapon, a shot in middle school,
“At first, I didn’t like it,” Showalter said. “But I started getting more serious about it my sophomore year. And I started getting good at it.”
The two, Kula said, “have spent thousands of hours together practicing.”
Now, it won’t be long before she can actually compete regularly in her specialty. Showalter has signed with Wisconsin. Missouri, Alabama, Arizona and Miami also heavily recruited her. As a Badger, she’ll compete in the hammer throw, discus and weight throw. She won’t have to pass on her favorite event, but her patience has been worth it.
“I do it when I can, and I’m trying to do it more often,” Showalter said. “It’s really frustrating.”
Said Menting: “Oh, yeah, it has been a strange conundrum. To have something like that where she has done as well as she has and not be able to do it … but it’s paying for my kid’s college. It’s really cool.”
