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06/10/2023 07:43 AMEven as a senior rookie to the Branford track program, Ronan Hayes competed like a seasoned veteran while additionally learning the importance of friendship and fun when it comes to flourishing within a sport.
The Hornets’ senior thrower did baseball and soccer when he was younger before concluding the latter after the COVID-canceled freshman year. Yet at the behest of a friend this winter, Ronan was encouraged to try his hand at track and joined the Branford indoor squad this past winter. Ronan began the outdoor season throwing the shot put with a distance of 30’-5.5 while his current personal record (PR) is 35’-3. In the discus, Ronan threw 68’-2 at his first meet and set a new PR of 101’-6 before breaking that to qualify for states at 118’-10.
“I love the community of the track team; it’s great to have people who have your back. The coaches were the driving factor towards me joining track, because they really care so much for each athlete,” says Ronan. “The camaraderie has been big for my success. I knew nothing about track a year ago; I thought it was the same as cross country. I tried different events but fell in love with throwing. The other throwers had me try different things, and it helped me improve a lot.”
When it comes to showing feats of strength and distance in the field, Ronan has discovered it is not about having the biggest muscles or lengthiest arms. The best performers are those that efficiently and succinctly plot out each point of a toss.
“Track is so much a physical and also mental sport,” Ronan says. “So much of it is having good technique and just the ability to calm down. You have to mentally slow yourself down with each throw and see how the physics work. It also involves a lot of time and effort with practicing.”
Ronan’s state championship qualification literally came down to his final chance to earn a spot on the big stage with an event back on May 24. With the encouragement of his teammates, and even members of his family stepping into a coaching role, he was able to make the most of the opportunity.
“Qualifying for states in the discus was my best throw of the year. It was a last chance meet to make it for states,” says Ronan. “My coach could not make it, and my mom was a substitute coach for me that day. I went from 101 feet to over 118, and it all just came together. Everyone was there supporting me, and it brought me back into the season, because at that stage of the season, only those that qualified for states had to be at practices.”
Branford boys’ outdoor track Head Coach Kent Jackson declares that Ronan has certainly taken the club credo to heart by making sure to keep the atmosphere light and airy while assuring that whichever object he possesses in the moment soars high.
“Ronan epitomizes my coaching philosophy of, ‘when we focus on developing technique while having fun, we will then realize success through improved throwing distances’,” says Jackson. “Ronan shows consistent work at practice, as he focuses on technique. While working hard on his technique, Ronan hasn’t lost sight of the importance of having fun. Ronan often creates lighthearted moments of laughter and camaraderie among his teammates.”
When it comes to his drive to keep things light-hearted, Ronan likes to illuminate the point that there will inevitably be ups and downs for the entire collective group and for individuals. Yet when the dust on the day settles, it is about having the fortitude to turn frowns upward and move onward.
“With anything in life, you need to make sure things are light,” Ronan says. “There are tough days where you might throw poorly, but at the end of the day, we are laughing it off on the bus ride home. It is about going home with a smile on your face with friends. Our coaches always say that they want good athletes, but also happy athletes.”
With respect to handling heavy artillery in practices and meets, Ronan plays a pivotal role as not solely a mentor to colleagues his junior, but he also serves as a steward of safety and security with everyone’s well-being.
“With throwing, so much is about bounding things off of one another, and the seniors and juniors make sure to keep the younger guys on track,” says Ronan. “There is also a safety factor when it comes to throwing things like the shot put and discus. It is about teaching the younger guys not only proper form but also proper safety.”
One of Ronan’s passions away from athletics is mathematics and science, as evident by his collegiate aspirations and his inspiration towards making states. In rounding the final turn of his high school tenure, he is eternally grateful for the friendships forged.
“I look forward to studying towards engineering in college, because I love science and math. I actually read an article about the prime angle with the discus the day I qualified for states,” says Ronan. “Of all the clubs and teams I have been a part of, track has been the best in my mind. It is because it is a place of camaraderie, and it is also something I was good at and enjoyed. You always have someone next to you supporting you with track. It was easily the highlight of my high school career.”