BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
Nora Monie took home two gold medals last week in the Patriot Relays at Mission Veterans High School. The Sharyland Pioneer senior threw for 139 feet, 6 inches in the discus and 40-4 in the shot put. So dominating was her display, she out-threw second place in each event by more than 25 feet combined.
How did Monie evaluate her performance?
“Not too good,” she said. “I was expecting to be better.”
The 17-year-old was so disappointed, she punished herself by spending part of her Sunday repeatedly hurling the sleek discs and cumbersome stones associated with each sport into the air, all in an effort to gain that extra inch.
“I set goals for myself,” Monie said. “I just want to (set a personal record) every meet.”
Monie’s personal bests this season double as benchmarks for the entire Valley. She holds the Valley’s best distance in the discus (140-10) and shot put (45-3 1/2) and is the most formidable athlete in girls throwing events.
“She’s got a strong lower body,” throwing coach Larry Howell said. “People think throwing is up in the arms. It’s all in the legs.”
Howell, an Ohio native, has coached in the Rio Grande Valley for 27 years and serves as a track consultant for several area schools. One reason for Monie’s success has been a throwing method imparted by Howell. Where the traditional starting stance finds most throwers with their back to the field, Monie’s stance is turned 90 degrees to the right.
“We call it ‘The 360,’” Howell said. “She spins all the way around twice and then she goes. Not too many kids around here can do it. She’s the only one I’ve seen. It adds power to the throw.”
Though Howell instructs Monie and others on the technical aspects of the sport, his oft-repeated motto simplifies the method to the madness.
“Coach says ‘When you think, you stink,” she said. “It’s true. Whenever I think too much about what I’m doing, I don’t do that well. I just go out there and throw.”
Monie started throwing in the eighth grade and was already familiar with the sport through her older sister. She also had friends who competed and took up field events on a whim.
“I was more into volleyball,” Monie said. “Track was just something I did for fun for awhile.”
Monie competed for Sharyland High School before moving to Pioneer this year. The Diamondbacks, a first-year program, only have 14 athletes on the girls team. Despite its small roster, Pioneer is already morphing into a powerhouse program. The team cruised to a win at the Patriot Relays, the latest in a string of first place finishes, and sports several competitors among the Valley’s Best – including Lizette Chapa (3200-meter run) and Rebeca Martinez (200-meter dash).
“I didn’t think we would be this good,” Monie said. “I knew we could do something with all of our talents. It was just to make sure everyone was going to be focused and starting a new tradition.”