Myrle Mensey, the top W60 thrower in the United States, picked up a handful of medals at Kamloops but is now rehabbing tendinitis and bursitis in her shoulder. No matter. Her prime focus now is a nonprofit group she founded a year ago that offers girls 10-18 “mentoring, physical training, education and nutrition information in an effort to encourage a balanced life through participating in the throwing sports: shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw.” Now that’s different! Most track clubs in the 501(c)3 world cater to runners — skinny kids who need a little push. Myrle’s organization — Throwing and Growing — perhaps gives heavier gals a chance at success.

Myrle (left) poses with some allies (and beneficiaries) of her year-old Throwing and Growing Foundation in the St. Louis area.

Myrle, a Missouri-based teammate of mine with the Southern California Striders, writes: “We provide nutritional information, physical fitness training and etiquette programs. All facets of our programs help to create a healthy, successful and positive lifestyle with the emphasis on self-respect, responsibility, leadership, and sportsmanship.”

Myrle (who blogs, too) also notes a major event set for later this month:

We are having our first fundraiser on April 24. . . . Michelle Carter, USA Olympic shot putter, will be our guest speaker at the morning event, and Dr. Agnes Green (will be) our Mistress of Ceremony for our “Evening of Jazz and Soul” fundraiser. Dr. Green is a masters athlete, high school All-State basketball player in Athens, Ga., inducted in to the Athens GA Athletic Sports Hall of Fame, first African American to serve as public address announcer for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four. She just returned from San Antonio, Texas, from the Final Four which commemorated her 10th anniversary as public announcer.

Dr. Green — a private practice anesthesiologist — is also a triathlete and avid cyclist, a ranked thrower in the Women 55-59 age group, who won three silver medals in Kamloops.

Purchasing tickets to this event or making a donation to the foundation will enable us to continue our free summer training session, field trips and additional programs for girls throughout the year. For additional information about the Foundation and our current programs, go to www.throwingandgrowing.org, (where you can make donations and purchase tickets through PayPal) or you can contact me directly at 314-650-1008.

I’m not the first blogger to note Myrle’s new venture. In St. Louis, Solomon Alexander last July wrote this on the St. Louis Sports Foundation site:

I had the chance to visit a new youth sports and mentoring organization called Throwing and Growing yesterday. Myrle Mensey, a nationally-ranked track and field athlete, started the program as a vehicle to enrich the lives of young girls. Mensey is ranked first in the shot put, discus, and hammer throws. She uses throwing to help the girls build physical strength. Then, she uses mentoring to help them build mental and social strength.

Mentoring has become a pretty loose term these days. Mensey, however, runs a pretty tight ship. Her summer camp is being held now through July 31st at the West End Community Center in St. Louis. From 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily, the girls work on various exercises and throwing techniques. Mensey is a big believer in fitness. “Our girls don’t throw anything until they can manipulate their own bodyweight. This means we have to be able to do push-ups, sit-ups, and jump rope. A thrower must have body control to be successful.”

After the workout, the girls must gather all the equipment to be put away. Yesterday’s workout was in the gym and everything had to be carried upstairs to the classroom for storage. The equipment includes several indoor(rubber) shot puts ranging in weight from 4lbs. – 16lbs. This seemed to be a lot of weight for the girls to carry in one basket. I offered to carry all the weights if the girls would get the ropes. Mensey stopped me cold. Each girl had to carry two of the shots while the oldest girl carried the rest. This was the first time in the history of my life that a woman refused my help in carrying something heavy.

In the classroom, each athlete had to write about what they did that day in a journal. Mensey encouraged them to write whatever came to mind regarding the day’s training. It was then time for the post-workout meal. Mensey explained to the girls why they were getting fruit, rice cakes, and protein bars instead of chips and cake. She told them how to dilute their sports drinks with water so they wouldn’t take in so much sugar. I left feeling good about this Throwing and Growing program. I think they just might make it.

In addition to W60 Myrle and W55 Green, Throwing and Growing sports several other masters champions, including Olympic bronze medalist Richard Cochran:

RICHARD COCHRAN
Throwing Coach and Mentor

Richard competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and earned a bronze medal in the discus. All-American in the discus at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He won the 1959 and 1960 NCAA titles in the discus. He also captured the college track “Grand Slam” by winning the discus competition in the Kansas, Texas and Drake Relays all in the same year. Cochran was a 1993 inductee into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame. Received his B.S. and his Masters of Education from University of Missouri-Columbia. He still competes and is the USTAF national age group champion from 2000 to the present.
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RON SUMMERS
Throwing Coach and Mentor

Ron is the throwing coach at Jacksonville College, Jacksonville, IL. He holds the world record in the shot put and weight throw (men 50-54) and is a 12-time Masters national champion in shot put, weight and hammer.

If anyone asks you whether a masters athlete can compete, coach and help the community at the same time, just point them to throwingandgrowing.org.

Best of luck to you and the girls, Myrle!