Senior Evan Usher, who broke the school’s rushing record for football earlier this year, is continuing his historic athletic season by breaking not one, but two long-standing track and field records.
Usher broke the discus record on Feb. 25 by throwing 167 feet and 4.5 inches at the Aragon track meet. The very next track meet on March 1 at the Woodside Jamboree, Usher broke the school record for shot put by throwing 59 feet and 8 inches. The school’s discus record had been standing since 1966 and its shot put record since 1977.
“I was super hyped. I was with my team, it’s the first meeting of the season, and I was super excited,” Usher said. “I had been training all year, since the summer. I had been really putting in a ton of work and a ton of time into shot put and discus.”
Despite the two early records, Usher is hoping for year-long results in his senior season. Results will take even more work and grit from the young athlete.
“I don’t [think] it’s too far fetched to say I want to be first in [Central Coast Section Playoffs (CCS)] for both events,” Usher said. “Obviously that’s a heavy tall task, but I think if I can get the right mindset, the conditions are great, and I keep working hard the rest of the season, I can definitely get a top three spot in both events at CCS.”
Now, if all goes perfectly, Usher’s goals are set on making it to the state playoffs, something he’s never done in his track and field career thus far. Usher was hoping to compete in the state playoffs last year, but unfortunately, Usher failed to meet the CCS requirement mark last season, preventing him from competing in CCS but he qualified for state playoffs.
“It was really like a weird ending, because I was kind of expecting to play some CCS and then move on, maybe go to state,” Usher said. “But for my season to just be ended so abruptly last year, I was a little bit bitter.”
This bitterness has motivated Usher to not only get back to the point he left off, but exceed to new heights in his final year at Woodside, to keep improving and not settle at 59 feet.
“After that school record, I want to throw even further,” Usher said. “I want to throw 60 [feet], maybe 62 or 63, who knows?”
Usher claims he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish such feats alone. From football coaches, to teammates, family and track coaches, Usher credits this support system as motivation during his career at Woodside.
“It’s nice to be a part of Woodside history knowing that I’ve had such a strong support group,” Usher said. “They’re the reason that I accomplished what I did because they pushed me harder than I thought I could be pushed, whether it was in the weight room or during games.”
This great coaching and mentorship Usher has received helped him break the football rushing record, which Usher said brought him relief. But these track records are different for Usher, considering his long term goals.
“I mean, it’s still a relief, but I have a lot of work to do,” Usher said. “These marks mean nothing if I can’t throw what I did today in CCS.”
While these goals aren’t the ultimate trophy in Usher’s season, he still finds value and personal connection within them. The shot put record has helped bond him and his coach closer.
“We have a former Olympic trialist, Rob Soufflon [here at Woodside], who actually held the record that I broke today for shot put,” Usher said. “So this was special for me because he wanted me to break it so badly because he wanted to see his own record get broken. So that was really cool to see it come kind of full circle.”
These records, as well as CCS and state playoffs, have been on Usher’s mind ever since football season ended in the fall. The excitement of the track season and more importantly, the foundation that comes with setting goals.
“For me, honestly, it’s just about being consistent,” Usher said. “It’s important to set goals because without them, not that you’re not structured, just, goals help you kind of have a singular path rather than not knowing what to do or what to accomplish for the season.”
For Usher, this singular path, however, requires the utmost commitment and dedication to the craft. In any sport, such as football or track throwing, improvement comes from consistency. Usher is ready for his senior year to be his most consistent season yet.
“You can’t just go out every day expecting to throw far. You have to put in the work in the weight room and change technical parts or technical aspects of your throw. You just have to stay consistent,” Usher said. “If you’re an athlete, it doesn’t matter what sport, and you want to get better, you can’t just expect results by just sitting and lying around.”
Usher was able to celebrate the record after the meet, but for the rest of the season, Usher is full steam ahead. Constantly improving and practicing so that later in the season his CCS and state playoff dreams are able to materialize.
“I celebrated a little after the meet, I had a nice lunch at the Dutch Goose, they have great burgers. And honestly, it’s straight back to making technical changes,” Usher said. “Knowing that I can throw [59] feet in the shot put [right] now, but if I don’t throw that mark at CCS or even states, nothing’s going to count.”
Usher’s throwing career in track field hasn’t always been constant improvement and results. Like every athlete, there have been setbacks.
“Last year, when I first picked up a shot put, I threw it about 49 feet. And then I was like, ‘Wow that’s a great mark’. And I threw, I think for the next seven meets, I didn’t even come close to 49 because I was expecting to do that same mark,” Usher said.
Usher advises other athletes looking to set their own records or beat their own personal bests to once again stay consistent, but also not to get too discouraged if the results they expect just aren’t happening.
“Don’t look at your personal best. Don’t look at other people’s personal best. Just work on small things. It’s crazy because especially in track, the smallest changes can produce the biggest results,” Usher said. “Always, always, always look for ways to improve, because if you can improve on one thing, it can help you in another way, and that can help you in another way. There’s just so many opportunities you can have to improve.”
