Ohio’s throwers have been successful this season, as Janiece Rose and Donyelle Brown elaborate on techniques they have use.
Senior throwers Donyelle Brown and Janice Rose have a deeply rooted relationship with each other and their religious faith.
While both lead the other throwers on Ohio’s track and field team, God leads them.
Brown and Rose, along with the other throwers, actively participate and attend Athletes in Action meetings. AIA is a Christian group on campus, which aids them in growing closer through faith.
“It gives us a chance to talk about God and what he has done for us throughout the week,” Brown said.
She said that AIA helps bring the whole team together. During practice and meets, the team is divided because the throwers are on their field, the runners are on the track and the jumpers are in their area.
The Christian group gives the team an opportunity to grow close when they don’t get that opportunity during practice.
The faith and connection built through the AIA meetings has assisted them off the field as well.
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Growing up with a faith-based background, Brown and Rose made the decision to continue their faith through college. AIA gave them that opportunity.
Brown said that at each meeting they are given a worksheet. If she doesn’t finish it at the meeting, she takes it with her to work on it.
She also said that listening to gospel music when traveling helps her focus and mentally prepare for each meet.
But it’s not just through faith that the two seniors have led the other throwers — it’s through performances too.
In their last meet, the Cardinal Invitational held this previous Friday at Ball State, Brown placed third in the hammer throw event with a distance of 54.91 meters.
Rose said the girls don’t really like to be cheerful as each teammate takes her throw, but instead, they give each other pep talks to get them focused before an event.
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Nick Pero, Ohio’s throwing coach, said the two older, experienced throwers — Brown and Rose — have helped alleviate some pressure when coaching the younger athletes.
“It’s very important because they are able to give little tips, secrets that have helped them over the years,” Pero said.
Yet, even with guidance and advice to teammates, the seniors have changed their approach throughout the season.
It doesn’t seem too difficult to throw a five-kilogram weight, but throwing is a little more technical than the actual act, according to Rose, Brown and Pero.
“We’ve tried some different things as far as lifting goes,” Rose said. “Which I think, having that extra strength helps with endurance.”
Over the season, Rose said she has spent more time working on lifting weights because having lower body strength is essential when completing a hammer throw.
“Our squats have gotten better,” she said. “We’re squatting heavier weights with more reps and that has helped our leg strength.”
Focusing on their daily weight training, Pero said he backed off and allowed Rose and Brown to develop their own lifting routines.
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In addition, Alex Mitchell, a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning for Ohio Athletics, has been working with the throwers’ all-around body strength.
Mitchell’s help has given the Bobcats’ throwers more time in the weight room and more opportunities for one-on-one guidance during training sessions.
Aside from training, however, the younger throwers on Ohio have excelled in their careers, too, as Pero said their success is attributed to a tradition formed from Brown and Rose’s dedication to the weight room.
“You have to start with a good, solid group of athletes,” Pero said. “Once you have that, foster their growth. As they grow, the new people you bring in, as long as they have the same, strong athletic abilities, there is always going to be that drive to not let their teammates down.”
The younger throwers have seen what Brown and Rose’s work ethic has accumulated this season, which, in turn, pushes them in practice and meets.
So when Brown stepped into the throwers cage and raised the five-kilogram weight to complete a hammer throw, Pero told her to, “Bend your knees and really dig your feet into the ground.”
Brown and Rose have not only dug in thrower’s cage, but also their faith and leadership over Ohio’s throwing future.
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