Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
To keep his state title hopes on track, Pasco's Donnie Woods wants to reach 50 feet in the shot put this season. He's almost there.
By JAMAL THALJI
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 22, 2001
DADE CITY -- As if he needed the reminder, the numbers appear wherever Donnie Woods might look. They are taped to the wall in Pasco's make-shift track office inside W.F. Edwards Stadium. They are taped to the overhang out by the shot put pit.
The numbers are five and zero, or rather, 50.
Feet, that is. Fifty feet is Woods' goal this season.
If the Pirate sophomore can reach that in the shot put, he surmises he'll qualify for his first regional meet, maybe even earn his first berth in the state meet. But why stop there?
"Next year I'll have up there 54," he said, "and the year after that 60. A state title, that's my goal."
If Woods can achieve his goal, he can point to the moment that spurred him to it: Last year as a freshman, Woods' best toss had been 44-41/2. At the district meet his best distance was merely 42-9. That was good enough for fifth place, but only the top four advanced. He missed qualifying for the regional meet by mere inches.
This year, Woods has used that disappointment to spur himself to a season and career-best 48-10. "It was one of the low points of my life in sports," said Woods, a starter at left tackle for the Pirates' football team and a standout on the weightlifting squad. "I don't know what happened. It just didn't happen for me. We all have off days, and mine was at districts."
Pasco coach Raven Lewis said Woods seems to have put those days behind him.
"Donnie is truly hungry this year," Lewis said. "I mean truly hungry. I think last year he might have been a little overwhelmed and pushed himself too hard, but this year he's very consistent with his workouts."
At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Woods' strength alone is not enough to succeed in the event. Pasco Middle School coach Wendell Maples taught him what would.
"Technique is the most important thing," he said. "You have to know what to do with your hands and your body and your head, and how to move them."
So far this season, Woods has won the event in six of seven meets. He's also a standout in the discus and his season-high is 133-10.
Last season, Port St. Joe's Travis Woullard won the Class A state title in the shot put with a heave of 56 feet. So Woods has three seasons to find that range. Lewis said the way Woods is working, his time will come.
"I've never seen him this focused," the coach said.
"He practices the fundamentals, he breaks every part of his throw down bit by bit and he puts it all together for a very complete throw."