PHILADELPHIA — For Sam Mattis, the introduction to the discus came by accident. A humbling, comical one to be sure.
As an eighth grader, eager to make his junior high track team, Mattis envisioned himself as a hurdler. Only the first hurdle he encountered didn't exactly agree. Mattis misjudged the hurdle and instead of striding over it in one motion, Mattis' hesitation caused him to jump it.
A winning smile - and gold watch -
from Sam Mattis
Photo courtesy of Penn University
So much for the hurdles, his coaches thought. How about the discus?
It's been a perfect match ever since. On Friday, at the 118th Penn Relays at Penn's Franklin Field, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior from
East Brunswick (N.J.) topped what has been a superb high school career by winning his first Penn Relays championship, throwing a personal — and this spring nation's — best 211 feet, 11 inches.
His throw, on his third try, easily outdistanced Kyle Long, from
Hempfield (Landisville, Pa.), who threw 193-4, and Fedrick Dacres, from Calabar (Kingston, Jamaica), who threw 185-6.
A two-time New Jersey Group 4 (large school) state champion, and winner at nationals, Mattis had sniffed first place the previous two years at the Penn Relays, finishing second his sophomore and juniors years. On Friday, Mattis broke through that threshold to secure what he believes is the biggest victory of his career.
"It feels great to win, it was my whole goal this season to win the Penn Relays, and the 211 was a personal best by four feet," said Mattis, who will be attending Penn in the spring with the aim to attend Penn's prestigious Wharton Business School and throw for the Quakers track team. "I got the 211 on my third throw. I knew I needed a good throw, and from the moment I released it, I knew it was going to go far.
"My technique wasn't exactly perfect, and it still needs a lot of work. I'm always working on my technique, and I know it won't ever be perfect. But with that throw, it was just so effortless. My body did the work. I wasn't straining at all."
To whirl around in a circle, inside a circle is an unnatural act. But if throwing the discus was supposed to be an effortless endeavor Mattis probably would have never pursued the event in the first place. But his introduction to the event he's gradually mastering came as a result of a weird twist.
Or, in his case, jump.
"I started throwing the discus by accident," Mattis recalled. "I started lifting in seventh and eighth grade when I was still playing football, and thought about trying out for the track team that spring. I thought I'd try the 110-meter hurdles."
Then Mattis paused, a little laugh … "and the first time I tried it, I totally misjudged the hurdle and instead of going over the way you're supposed to, mine was more like a stop, and a jump. I guess you can say it was pretty comical, in hindsight. But the coaches thought the hurdles weren't exactly for me. That's when it was suggested I try the discus."
It was an instant love affair. Mattis' father threw the disc in high school and college, so he was excited about the change. In one of Sam's first encounters in discus technique, his father challenged him to throw 100 feet with a three-pound weight disk. Sam, with little training, nearly hit the 100-foot mark.
"The discus isn't easy, and it didn't come that easy at first to me, but I did like it," Mattis said. "I learned to get a feel for it, and I liked the challenge of throwing the discus. You're always challenging yourself. You're out there alone, it's just you, and I'm always analyzing and seeing video of what I'm doing wrong. I think it's what pushes me."
Mattis absorbed his great moment of triumph, beamed a bright smile on the championship podium as his name was announced to the thousands in attendance, and within about 30 minutes on the car ride home left the moment right there. He doesn't like displaying his many trophies and medals.
"I don't like dwelling on accomplishments, for me, it's always about looking ahead to the next challenge," Mattis said. "When I left Franklin Field, that was it. I left it there. It was a nice feeling to finally win the Penn Relays. It's the most accomplished I ever felt throwing the discus. But there are still plenty of things ahead. The state championships. The Nationals. My plan is to go out tomorrow and start throwing again."
