Avione Allgood was initially attracted to the throwing events in track and field because of the noise.
"When I watched the Olympics I saw big, buff people screaming. I didn't understand it," Allgood said.
Now that she is one of the top girls javelin throwers in the country, though, Allgood is emulating those primal yells she saw on TV several years back.
Well, sort of.
"Mine is kind of like a screech," Allgood said.
A junior-to-be at Legacy (North Las Vegas, Nev.), Allgood is in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, this week to represent the U.S. at the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships. At 16, she is also one of the youngest athletes at the meet, which is open to competitors under the age of 20.
"I'm excited to compete against everyone," Allgood said. "I have to do my best and see where that gets me."
Allgood is a two-time Nevada Class 4A state champion in the shot put and also won the discus title in May. Her best event, though, is the javelin, which she has been throwing since age 10.
Allgood won the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., on June 5 with a mark of 155 feet, 9 inches and set a personal record of 163-1 at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, in late June.
Allgood led the latter competition until the final round when Allison Updike of Tamaqua (Pa.) threw 167-2 to take over first place.
Still, the second-place showing was enough to qualify Allgood for the World Junior team, a major breakthrough considering Allgood spent much of her age-group career in the shadow of Hannah Carson of Chandler, Ariz., who holds the girls national record in the javelin (171-9).
"She always just missed. If they took one, Avione was second," said Gloria Allgood, Avione's mother and javelin coach. "I'm pretty excited about her making her first junior team. We knew it was going to happen eventually in the javelin. Her throws just kept on getting farther and farther and farther."
At 5-foot-5, Allgood is considerably shorter than many of her competitors, meaning she has to rely on her technique rather power.
"They don't expect it coming out of me," Allgood said.
Surprisingly, however, Allgood utilizes a short, five- to seven-step power throw rather than using the entire runway, which is approximately 120 feet long.
"If she ever gets 10 or 15 (steps) in her run up, how far will she throw then?" said Allgood's father, Bernard, who also coaches her.
Allgood is hoping she can add 3 meters - or about 10 feet - to her PR at the World Juniors. If it doesn't happen in Canada, Allgood is scheduled to participate at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships July 27-Aug. 1 at Sacramento, Calif., as well as the AAU Junior Olympic Games Aug. 2-7 at Norfolk, Va.
And then there's tryouts for the Legacy volleyball team.
"I'm going to be pretty busy," Avione Allgood said. "I'm happy I made (the World Junior) team. I don't really care what I place as long as I do my best and left the meet knowing I have my all and left it on the track."
Sheff leaves Bishop Gorman
Chris Sheff, who coached the Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) baseball team to five straight Nevada Class 4A state titles, stepped down to take over as coach and athletic director at College of Southern Nevada.
Sheff, 39, replaces Tim Chambers, who was named coach at UNLV.
Sheff compiled an overall record of 228-45 in his seven seasons and helped build Gorman into one of the nation's top programs. The Gaels finished this past season ranked No. 6 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 poll and were fourth in 2009.
Sheff won a national championship as a player at Pepperdine and spent a decade in the minor leagues, reaching as high as Triple A.
"We want to continue what (Chambers) has done," Sheff told Nevadapreps.com. "Tim’s done a great job in developing this program.”
Recruiting
* Rancho (Las Vegas) senior-to-be baseball players Brandon Pletsch and Zak Qualls gave verbal commitments to UNLV, according to Nevadapreps.com. Qualls, a left-handed pitcher who originally committed to San Diego State, was 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings as a junior. He also batted .446 with three homers and 29 RBIs. Pletsch, a shortstop, led the Rams offense with a .480 average, nine home runs and 49 RBIs.
* Bishop Gorman football player A.C. Patterson gave a verbal commitment to Texas-El Paso. A 6-2, 285-pound center, Patterson is the son of former UNLV defensive line coach Andre Patterson. Andre Patterson was hired as UTEP's defensive coordinator in January.
"UTEP stood out for the most of the things I wanted in college, and we decided that would be the place to go," A.C. Patterson told Nevadapreps.com.
Coaching changes
* Brian Voyles was hired as the new girls basketball coach at Hug (Reno), replacing Ed Shepard. Voyles coached the school's boys team from 1999-2009, winning Northern Region titles in 2002 and 2009, while qualifying for the 4A state tournament on four occasions.
Voyles, who is the winningest coach in school history with 185 victories, takes over a program that has qualified for the playoffs each of the past two seasons and is led by Voyles' daughters, Christen, a sophomore, and Jessica, a senior.
* Carlos Madrid, a former Reed (Sparks) and University of Nevada-Reno player, was hired as coach of the McQueen (Reno) baseball program. Madrid replaces Brian Nelson, who resigned in May after 13 years with the Lancers.
"He’s well-known in this area, he’s 27 years old, he brings youth and excitement to the game and we hope that he can give the same excitement to our team," McQueen athletic director Eric Borja told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "He’s definitely a coach who cares about kids and teaching kids baseball."
David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.
