Hurst The Hurler - An Interview


(Photo provided by Lexi Hurst)

Personal Records:

100 Meter Hurdles:  19.98

200 Meter Dash:  30.13

Discus:  151-11

Shot Put:  47-9

State Meet Competition Record:

2017  Shot Put 1st  Discus 3rd

2016  Shot Put 1st  Discus 2nd

2015  Shot Put 5th  Discus 11th

2014  Shot Put 8th  Discus 5th

Where were you born and what sports did you play when you were younger?

I was born in Minnesota but I claim my birth place as Michigan. I used to play basketball, tennis, volleyball (for fun in the summer); I was a runner in track & field.  I did gymnastics, and I also do softball in the summer. I think softball helps with my speed a bunch, gymnastics definitely helped with flexibility along with tennis. No my parents we're the type to say "learn as you go".  If I got hurt then I'd know not to do the same thing next time but I never really got hurt until my summer before sophomore year of high school when I tore my ACL and then again summer before senior year.

Why did you ultimately choose to be a thrower?

Track was the next sport in the lineup. I liked to run as a kid and so I did that and I wanted to try everything. So I ran and I did high jump and threw. My coaches were like "you're really good at throwing" and so I stuck with that. 

You are captain of the steps team.  What is "Steps."

Step team is a group of people who use their body and props to make rhythms and beats. It's a place to express our creativity and musician ship without any judgment or restrictions. It's our place to be free and ourselves.

Who are your coaches and how does each one help you?

My head coach is Derek Fisher. He's one of the coaches that is fun sometimes and then super serious the next. He is also becoming the old wise man you see in movies.

My throws coaches are Paul Ellison, Ryan Sommers, and Kailee Kamps. Ellison is like a father to me in so many ways. He feeds me, makes sure I have all my stuff and if I forget some stuff he'll scold me then take me back to get it. He IS the old wise man you see in movies. He's pretty funny sometimes and then most of the times he gets pity laughs.

Ryan Sommers was my coach until he went on paternity leave for his new baby Eleanor (who is adorable btw).  Sommers is the funny, laid back type of coach. He will loosen us up before we throw and then give us tips on how to improve our technique. He's a great guy and I missed him a lot this year.

Kailee Kamps is my new coach this year. She came from the University of Minnesota and she was my coach at the U of M camp that I go to and she is so helpful with technique. She puts Ellison's words into teenager speak and its super helpful considering Ellison is a psychologist and sometimes doesn't switch his speech. Kailee is very technical and very laid back, I love having her as a coach. They have all taught me how to improve my technique and what to get rid of and what to try. Although sometimes they contradict but for the most part it's pretty much the same thing to change.

Which teammates inspire you?

Well my first teammate is Michaela Baker, who is a runner/hurdler/jumper, her work ethic makes me want to work harder in the events I do and she a really great friend to me. She's super funny and I don't know what I am going to do without her quirkiness next year.

The next two teammates are Jehdessa Borreson and Kaylee Hanson, they both work so hard and watching them makes me feel like a great teammate for helping them improve and watching them grow as throwers. I am super excited to see where they go in throwing as they continue their journey at Armstrong. These girls help me because I can build leadership skills and qualities and I get to see how they progress and what I need to change in my teachings.

How have your parents helped you?

I think that I've turned my mom into a ride or die for track and field. She comes, or tries her hardest to come, to every track meet and support me. She tries to be a side line coach and it is so hilarious because all she says is "Do better." or "Throw farther".

She drives me everywhere and I can't thank her enough for everything that she has done for me. My dad tries to be there but he has his music career and church and other stuff that he has to attend to so he is busy and the times don't fit with his schedule although when he does come he is the loudest cheerer which I appreciate. He came to state on Friday and I was very happy to see him there.

What has helped you develop the most as a thrower?

Practice! Practice! Practice! Although I still think that I could become a lot faster than I am currently and softball helps with my speed. Lifting helps with the power I need to be explosive. For drills we run (or jog) around the sideline on the football field, we also do ladders (like the football players or soccer players) and hurdle mobility. We also practice our technique with med balls and that's also where the explosiveness comes from. I do watch my videos a lot. Figuring out what went wrong and how I could improve one thing without messing up the other stuff and I also like to watch Olympic throwers and compare them to my throws and see what different things I could try. My throwing guru would probably be Kailee Kamps because she's been through the U of M and throwing there so she can tell me what to expect and teaches me how to plan. It's super helpful.

Do you follow any college or professional athletes?

Definitely. The professional thrower that I look up to would definitely be Michelle Carter hands down. She is amazing and I would love to be able to either meet her one day or compete with her or even be in her presence. She is such an inspiration from throwing to confidence; she's my idol and most likely always will be.

My non-future teammate that I look up to is Magdalyn Ewen. She is a triple threat with shot, disc, and hammer and I hope one day I could be as good as or even better than she is. She is such an amazing thrower, I have never met her but from what I hear from my good friend Amanda Anderson of St. Francis, MN (who throws the discus extremely well and got first in the state meet), Maggie is a great person.

The future teammates at the University of Minnesota that I look up to are Temi Ogunrinde, Agnes Esser, Angie Guenther, and Nina Horvath in the Hammer throw. In Discus, it's Angie Guenther, Agnes Esser, Kiley Sabin. In the Shot put, it's Shay Nielsen and Kiley Sabin. All of these women inspire me to throw far based on their work ethic and the outcome that shows me that if you work at something then eventually it will all come together and you will do great things. They are all amazing people; I look forward to spending time with all my future teammates and see what I can do under their leadership.

(Photo provided by Lexi Hurst)

What new events will you try in college?

For one, I'll get to throw the hammer!! Which I am extremely excited about. My coach, Peter Miller, wanted me to switch to spin just to try it and see if that would work out and if it doesn't then we'd switch back to glide. I think that it'd be fun to try and see if it works out for me.  I might also try the javelin throw.

How would you describe your relationship with Beth-el Algarin of Pierz?  She has been to state multiple times like you.

There is no friendly rivalry. There is no rivalry at all. I love Beth-el and she's like a sister to me which is why I was saddened to see that she still threw even though she is injured but she still placed top five(she took fourth) and I'm super proud of her for sticking through it.

Beth-el helps me in many different ways. One way is that she pushes me; she's a year younger than me and dang near throwing just as well maybe even better than me at this point. I have never met her coach but I love her dad and her mom. They are great people and support both of us (obviously Beth-el more). I don't really have a number but we mostly compete against each other in the summer time since her school is Class A and mine is AA. We both go to the U of M camp and unfortunately I don't compete in weight lifting so we don't compete there.

What about weight training?

We lift regularly for school (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and sometimes Saturday). It is super important for me to lift otherwise my throwing would definitely decrease since throwing is sort of a power sport. My records are: bench press 230lbs, leg press nearly 800lbs, dead lift is between 95 and 115 kilos, squat is 315lbs, military press is between 135 and 155 lbs, clean and jerk is about 60 kilos (I don't do those very often), and snatch is about 15 to 20 kilos. We are supposed to do abs every other time that we lift but if I'm being honest I do abs probably once or twice every two weeks but since I do weird gymnastic type things my core isn't weak, it could just be stronger.

Will you miss high school sports?

If I am being 100% honest, I won't. I only did one high school sport and that's track and although I did have 3 to 5 people who I felt actually liked hanging around me and talking to me. I never actually felt a part of my team. Yes, throwing is an individual competition but the way I see my future teammates, and other high school teams it could be a lot different, so I am mostly looking forward to college because I didn't have that team that I wanted and needed.