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Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Fri May 13, 2005 5:37 pm

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/h ... me11n.html
State champ: only a throw away
By Jim Riley
Special to The Seattle Times
Chase Mancuso leads the state this season with a discus throw of 185 feet, 8 inches, and his most famous coach thinks it won't be long until he really lets one fly.
Mac Wilkins, the 1976 Olympic champion, regularly watches Mancuso on video and believes the Kamiak High School senior is making rapid progress. "He's to the point where he could throw it over 200 feet in the next month or two," Wilkins said. "He's close and is definitely going in the right direction."
Most of the video that Wilkins watches is shot by Mancuso's father. In 1976, Bill Mancuso threw the discus far enough at Eastern Montana College in Billings to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
A lack of sponsorship kept the elder Mancuso from making the trip, but it didn't stop him from passing along his love of the sport to his son.
Chase Mancuso has already accepted a scholarship to Washington State University. His ultimate goal is to throw in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The discus is a family obsession in the Mancuso household, with mom Ingrid also manning the camcorder. The video is downloaded onto a Web site, where Wilkins and biomechanics coach Lex Strom watch it and pick out flaws.
The video also can be broken down frame by frame and viewed next to the best discus technicians in the world.
"With the discus, there are a lot of little things that can really mess you up," Chase Mancuso said. "I look at a lot of film to see what mistakes I make so I can correct them in practice."
Wilkins, who teaches at throwers camps, recently accepted a coaching position at Concordia University in Portland. Though he believes analyzing video can accelerate the process, he says improved technique can come only from practice.
"Chase has the concept, but it's like a golf swing that takes time to develop," Wilkins said. "Good technique comes from 10,000 throws."
Mancuso, who is 6 feet 2, 208 pounds, will probably need to gain at least 20 pounds to compete at the college level.
"He's already a fine technician," said Paul Kirkpatrick, the boys track-and-field coach at Kamiak. "His speed is his biggest asset. He's extremely quick across the circle. His skill and concentration are his strong suits, and his work ethic is unmatched. That's a pretty good combination."
WSU throwers coach Debra Farwell agrees the discus champion isn't necessarily the strongest.
"Discus is really a finesse event," she said. "Power athletes need the ability to move their big bodies quickly."
Mancuso, who has thrown 188 feet in practice, hopes he has saved his best for the Class 4A state meet June 3-4 in Pasco.
"My goal is to break the 190 barrier," Mancuso said.
Bill Mancuso will be there to shoot video and offer advice.
"Chase is carrying on the tradition," he said. "It's been both glorious and frustrating being his coach. He sees me all the time and probably gets tired of hearing the same things. ... I've learned to back off because he is already advanced and knows what to do to correct his mistakes."
Chase Mancuso, who plans to study communications at WSU and hopes to become a television producer, said he enjoys working with his father.
"He really helps me a lot," he said. "He knows what he's talking about. ...
"My mom also helps break down the film, so it's nice that the whole family is involved."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/h ... ger08.html

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Seattle Times staff reporter
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