Hammer Throwing Videos by Harold Connolly Available
to Support Youth Hammer Throwing
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2009 5:29 PM
Subject: Hammer Throwing
US Hammer Throwing
Harold Connolly
In 2002, after retiring as Director of US Programs for Special
Olympics, I made a decision to devote my 23 years of hammer throwing
competitive experience and subsequent 26 years of hammer throw coaching
toward establishing a strategy to motivate and help American boys and
girls attain the victory stand in the hammer throw at the 2012 or 2016
Olympic Games. In the year of the 2012 Olympic Games, I’ll be 81 years
old.
My personal goal is to attend the Olympic Games when a boy or girl I
assisted wins an Olympic hammer throwing medal. This is a major factor
that keeps me committed to my training, followed faithfully if not as
vigorously as throughout my own Olympic career. In this regard my role
model and good friend is the oldest Olympic gold medalist thrower,
Wilbur Moose Thompson (London Olympic Games 1948, shot-put) now 88
years young and still coaching.
It’s the general consensus among the most successful hammer throw
coaches that it takes 8 -12 years for a hammer thrower to attain
Olympic victory stand status. By 2012 – 2016, my passionate hammer
throw quest will have covered 10 – 14 years. Will the ebbing decline
of American top level hammer throwing have turned by then and potential
American Olympic hammer throw medalists have emerged? In 2016, I’ll be
85, and I want to be in the Olympic Stadium to witness the positive
results I confidently expect.
In September, I received a message from a man I coached in college with
his pledge to match contributions made to the 2009 USATF Youth Hammer
Throw Fundraiser up to $5,000. He said that he wanted to support our
efforts to advance continued youth participation in hammer throwing,
the event that positively influenced the course of his life.
To continue disseminating authoritative hammer throw coaching
information across the country and to add a donation incentive to the
2009 USATF Youth Hammer Throw Fundraiser, I recently completed the two
most effective Hammer Throw Technique and Coaching Instructional DVDs I
have ever put together:
Hammer Throw Training, 3 Turn – 4 Turn (3.68 GB)
Youth Hammer Throwing, A and B (2.70 GB)
After reading this appeal, I hope you will open and use the donation
form and/or log on to: www.hammerthrow.com/grants/
There you will find detailed descriptions of:
Training and Coaching DVDs;
USATF Youth Hammer Throw Development Project;
USATF Youth Hammer Throw Grants Program;
2009 Training Grant Application Form; and
How You Can Support American Youth Hammer Throwing.