A Record-Breaking Throw

Dirk Beashore, Sports Editor

It was 1976. That was the last year anyone had broken the Piper track and field shot put record. That was until April 28 at DeSoto High School when senior Micaiah Noel was up for his third throw, in which he broke the record with a throw of 55-5.5 feet.

Noel also had a good showing at the KU Relays. He finished fourth and was the best placing Piper athlete at the Relays. Though finishing with the best throwing performance at the meet in school history, Noel didn’t like the way he came out on his first few throws.

“I was throwing terribly,” Noel said. “I was throwing 50s, and the other guys were throwing 51s.”

Before the last throw he decided he had nothing to lose and he mixed up his ritual.

“I tried to get hot,” Noel said. “I put on my sweats and my sweatshirt and ran around.”

Noel said that he felt like that helped him because he was able to jump from eighth place to fourth. Noel used that same ritual at the DeSoto meet.

The day of the DeSoto meet Noel said he had a strange feeling that day.

“All day I had felt like I was going to break it,” Noel said, and that’s what he did.

Noel also gives credit to throwing teammate Cooper Beebe, saying that he gave him some good advice during warm-ups saying.

“Try to not to throw as hard as you can during warm-ups,” Beebe said.

According to Noel, that helped him save some stamina for the recorded throws.

This has been a record he’s been chasing since the day he put on a track and field uniform three years ago. Noel said it felt good to finally break the record.

“I have to admit, I got a little loud after I threw,” he said. “It was awesome because my mom was there to see it, so it made it that more special.”

Noel said he isn’t done yet, and his next goal is a lofty one.

“My next goal is to go even higher, so that no one else can break it,”he said.

However, Noel believes his record could be broken sooner rather than later.

“I think Cooper Beebe has a potential to break it,” Noel said. “His dad holds the record at Bonner (Springs).” He added, “His older brother Colton also holds the freshman shot put record here. So I think Cooper has a chance to break it.”

Noel will be throwing at the Piper Invitational Meet May 3 at 3:30.