Clinic notes, DVD's, & books will be available in the near future.

The NTCA would like to congratulate NTCA Hall of Fame Member Harold Connolly for having a statute at William Howard Taft School commissioned this past December. To view photos of the Harold Connolly statute and unveiling ceremonies that include the famous sculptor Pablo Eduardo, Mayor Menino of Boston, and many other luminaries click here.

Rob & Mary,
I was so touched to be a part of the Hall of Fame ceremony - I will have fond memories of being bookended by Mac and Al Oerter... thank you again for including me - I only regret that I couldn't be there for the whole conference. I eagerly await the next one.
Kate Schmidt
2005 Hall of Fame Inductee

Rob & Mary,
No, no, no, let us thank you. We get so much out of sharing our passion with others and our old friends.
Mac Wilkins
2005 Hall of Fame Inductee

I would like to say thanks to you and your wife for all the courtesies extended to me during my time at the conference. I learned a lot and I am so looking forward to next year.

On the way home I was thinking that it would be so great to have a conference like this in Jamaica. This would enable greater participation from the regional coaches and also in terms of equipment and implements for sale there would be an opportunity to offer these items to persons who would not normally have access to them. I would like to know what you think and if it is at all feasible then I would approach the Association for assistance in this project. If this could happen coaches here and in the wider Caribbean could order their stuff and just come and pick it up. I think that my Association could organize a waiver for duties on the items that you would be shipping down and also arrange for a special rate in terms of accommodations / airfare etc. I also think that the Government will render some assistance from the tourism point of view.

Please let me know what you think as I just want my fellow coaches to be exposed to the type of presentations that I was fortunate enough to have been and so improve our knowledge base and eventually our throwers from the Caribbean region. Thanks again.
Michael Vassell

Rob and Mary,
After attending this past weekend's National Throws Coaches Association clinic, I just wanted to say congratulations on a job well-done. I know that a lot of time and effort went into making that weekend a great one and I really appreciated that. Thanks for doing such a great job. I learned a lot and had fun doing it. I'm already looking forward to future events.
Graham Wellman

Rob & Mary,
Wow! Thanks for a wonderful weekend. What a tremendous job coordinating all of the meetings and coaches. This was my first year being a part of the NTCA program. I never knew about the development services and efforts of the NTCA.
David Dumble
Arizona State University

Congratulations to Rob & Mary Lasorsa for the outstanding job last weekend. Events like this can only strengthen the throws community.
Gary England

Great Weekend...
One of those once in a lifetime events that assemble some of the greats of the sport. The way life is, you never know if you will ever be able to see so many of these greats in one room again, so you really appreciate it.
Mike

A few of my favorite quotes and thoughts from the conference..
"The best workout is the one your not doing" - Jud Logan
"My only coaches I ever had were 2 towels. One being my first throw of the workout, and the other being every mark further than that mark during a workout" - Al Oerter
"After injuring my arm from the Javelin.. my goal was to maintain my scholarship and throw 180' in the discus" - Mac Wilkins
In response to Al Schoterman realizing Jud Logan's potential and asking him if he wanted to go to the Olympics. Jud Logan replies "You got tickets already ??"
Basically anything that came out of Mac Wilkins mouth!
Coach John Smith acknowledging that his throwers don't do back squats, and his method of teaching throwers to lift (and/or not step over toe board) in front of the circle by putting a table in front of the toe board. "They learn real quick to stay back"
Hal Connolly's story about the foreign thrower who basically laughed at him because of his smaller stature. "He really teed me off! I knew right then that I would do whatever it took to beat him"
That same thrower who the night before the Olympic final came to Hal and shook his hand.. "When I felt his hand.. it was cold and wet.. I knew I won the GOLD at that moment!"
Basically, Hal Connolly's stories about anything!
Seeing Al Schoterman going over technique in the hallway outside of the conference area after his speaking session with one of the attendees. True Dedication
George Woods' appreciation of being honored by the NTCA. "Its nice to be honored by people who actually know what a shot put is"..referring to a past honoring,which afterwards someone asked "What exactly is a shot put ?"
Mac Wilkins standing on a table showing throwing positions during a main room conference.
Mike

NTCA - Best Presentation
Hands down, Tom Pukstys and Romas Ubartas. The focus on being an athlete and training for explosive athletic ability, with lifting for raw power well down the list, was great! Jump, run, learn your technique before you get strong, and get strong to throw! The references to "then and now" for Alekna's training was fabulous.
Best thing I've seen at a clinic in years.
Jeff Gorski

My NTCA:
I met a 74 year-old man who could kick my butt, with one hand no less. (Speaking of Hal Connolly)
Norm Zylstra

Rob & Mary,
Thank you very much for everything. The clinic was AWESOME! What a great atmosphere for the throws. I know it took a lot of planning and organization, so I just wanted to commend you on that.
Dayna Holston Wenger
Penn State Univ

Great Weekend!
Couldn’t wait to drop you a line and let you know how great this weekend was. It was absolutely the best conference I have ever attended for Track & Field in the 20 years that I have been associated in the sport. As a throws coach, it was very informative. I picked up some key new things to integrate into my program from guys like Rob Rogers, Jud Logan, and John Smith. Larry Judge was informative as always, and Duffy Mahoney was great as well to name a few. As a fan of Track & Field, I was able to meet some of the greats of our sport, which was just absolutely priceless. I was actually in tears during some of the roundtable discussions from laughter with guys like Mac Wilkins, Tom Petranoff, and Hal Connolly answering questions. Overall, just a piece of time in my life that will last forever.. My hat goes off to the NTCA for orchestrating this, and for all of the people who assited to make this happen.. Lets build on this and make sure this tradition will be around for years to come.

Let me not forget to also mention that accommodations at Marriot Northwest, Dublin were exceptional. Me and my family were quite happy with all facets of the hotel during the conference.
Thanks again,
Mike Weiner (New York)

Thank you VERY MUCH for a great conference.One of the best that I have participated at in YEARS(on any subject - not just track & field) ! I enjoyed the presenters and have already used some of the technical 'teachings' in practice already Thanks again for the Lasorsa's passion.
Gill Cornell (California)

I arrived back home from the conference a few hours ago. This is the first throws conference that I have attended. It was great. I learned so much more than I thought possible. There were so many people with so much knowledge and experience in one place.

I thought Jud Logan's presentation was worth the trip by itself. He obviously has a wealth of knowledge, and the ability to discuss it. For me, Tom Petranof's presentation would have also been worth the trip all by itself as well. Tom shared his training methods for "core" strength development. They are exercises that anyone can do with a very limited budget, but things I certainly would never have thought of myself.

Larry Judge was also very enjoyable, knowledgeable, and informative, as was Mac Wilkins. I also learned a few things from Joe Napoli, Matt Ellis and Scott Bennett in their sessions.

Having the vendors there was also nice. I was able to purchase some items at a big discount.

Thanks for all the effort by the NTCA to put this conference on. I will definitely try to attend all of the NTCA's future conferences.
John Stellern
Cheyenne, Wyoming

I just wanted to send a quick message to the NTCA for putting on a great conference during the weekend. The speakers obviously were first rate, as well as the vendors, and the learning environment remained positive during the entire time.The location obviously was easy to get to and I can't wait for next year's Conference plans to come out!
Thank you!
Edward Marrinan (Xenia, Ohio)

I attended the NTCA seminar in Ohio and I just wanted to say thank you for such a great experience. I got so much out of it and appreciate the incredible effort that you and your wife put in to organizing such a great event.
Thanks again,
Becky O'Brien