It wasn’t until the first meet of the season that Lincoln boys track coach Eric Dettman realized what the team had in junior Sawyer Christopher, a transfer from Scappoose.
Preseason testing showed that Christopher was among the team’s best sprinters and vertical jumpers, but the first meet revealed his true expertise, the javelin.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we have a kid on our hands,’” Dettman said. “I reached out to our throws coach, and I feel bad about saying this, but I was like, ‘Hey, is this a mistake?’”
It was no mistake. At Scappoose, Christopher had set the school record as a freshman, throwing 175 feet, 1 inch, and his throw of 192-11 last year is the best among the state’s returning throwers this season.
The 6-1, 160-pound Christopher, who threw 171-5 on his only attempt this season, is looking to make another big move as a junior.
“I want to throw at least 210. If I can get to that, I’ll be set,” Christopher said of a goal that would put him among the top dozen all-time Oregon throwers.
The javelin is in Christopher’s blood. His father, Dave, threw it 206-1 for Elmira in 1988 (before the state switched to the international javelin in 2002) and went on to a college career at Montana State.
“He basically taught me the steps and the rhythm,” Christopher said.
Christopher threw his best of 192-11 in the second meet last year and he later hit 200 feet on a scratch before his season took a downward turn because of a sore arm. He won the javelin and discus in the Class 4A Cowapa League meet but because of the soreness he competed only in the discus at the state meet, placing 12th.
“We don’t really know for sure what it was because I didn’t go to the doctor, but we think I strained or stressed a ligament in my arm,” Christopher said. “I just tried to carry on through it, and get help, and stretch it out as much as I could, but nothing was really helping.”
A sore arm also plagued him as a freshman, when he placed eighth in the Class 4A meet, so he is proceeding cautiously this season.
“I’ve been doing a lot of PT with it. It feels a lot better this year,” he said. “I think it’s mainly just needing to warm up better before each meet. Practice has been going really good. I’m just trying to save my arm for state because it seems like every year I keep blowing it out and I’m not able to do anything at state.”
The slender Christopher, who has added about 10 pounds from last season, is hoping for a boost from a growth spurt. He said his cousins are in the 6-3, 6-4 range, but their growth spurts didn’t come until after high school.
“If this is as tall as I’m going to get, I’m going to be mad,” he said.
Christopher said he transferred to Lincoln to be with his sophomore sister, Piper, who is in her second year at the school. Fall and winter were a transition time for him, and now that track has started, he is feeling more comfortable.
“I’m happy I’m back in track now because I was kind of lacking a bunch of friends,” he said. “It’s nice having a bunch of friends that I have a lot in common with.”
Dettman said the team can benefit from Christopher’s presence.
“He’s stepped up nicely in terms of helping and guiding some of those younger kids,” Dettman said. “I always appreciate people who can compete at a high level because they bring a certain calming element to everybody. You see what it takes to be great. I think he’s the type of person that our athletes can really look up to.”
-- Jerry Ulmer
julmer@oregonian.com
503-816-7323
@jerryulmer