Being a starter for any high school sport can be an extremely intimidating, yet humbling task. These positions are usually held by the older and more experienced upperclassmen. It is rare for a coach to choose an underclassman over a senior to start; however, some younger athletes with proven talent and versatility do break through these boundaries and become a clutch player for a varsity team. Walpole High School sophomore, Summer King, renowned for her versatility as a varsity volleyball and basketball starter, has extended her athletic abilities into another sport: Spring Track and Field.
Summer started her high school sports career last year, as being the only freshman on the varsity volleyball team and then the only freshman on the varsity basketball team. Not only was she the sole freshman on each team, but she was also a key player who started each game. The Boston Globe honored her by naming her 2012 and 2013 All- Scholastic All Star for her achievements in basketball. Summer also holds the title of 2012 Bay State League All-Star for her successful season in volleyball. This spring, after some convincing by her basketball teammate and senior track Captain Michelle Monahan, Summer brought her athletic abilities to the Turco Track.
Summer said, “I am surprised with my success in the sport since I only joined the team because my friend Michelle Monahan told me about it and it sounded fun.”
From the very first meet, Summer’s throwing potential was evident. Competing with little practice and experience, Summer placed fourth in javelin with an impressive first throw of 72’5’’. At the next meet against Natick, Summer improved somewhat in javelin with a throw of 78’5’’ to place second.
During Walpole’s meet against Wellesley, Summer’s true abilities began to shine. For this meet, Summer’s technique in shot put had evolved from the standing throw (which she used at Weymouth) to the glide. Summer placed first in shot put with a PR of 31’10’’, and also placed first in javelin with a massive improvement of 28 feet, to get 98’8’’. For javelin, she progressed from a short approach with 2 crossovers to a full approach for this meet. With these two unbelievable throws she not only upset the Wellsley throwers, but also qualified for states.
Also, Summer’s talent was seen at the Rt. 228 Freshman-Sophomore Meet. In javelin, Summer placed fourth out of 40 athletes. She also placed second out of 46 athletes in shot put. Continuing to place highly in each event in meets against Newton North, Dedham, Milton and Norwood, Summer has become a strong force for Walpole. By the end of the season, Summer said ” I hope to get 100 feet in javelin and 33 feet in shot put.” She is always setting goals for herself and she said, ” I like how [track] is both an individual and team sport.”
So far Summer has scored a total 41 points for Walpole, putting her in third place on the leaderboard behind senior captain Maddy Shea and junior Olivia O’Hara. She also holds Walpole’s best season records for both shot put and javelin with her throws of 32’7″ and 98’8 respectively.
At the Bay State Conference Championship Meet, Summer threw a 32’7″ in shot put establishing her as the second best sophomore thrower and the fifth best overall thrower in Walpole High history.
Walpole Girls Track Coach, Conor Cashman said, “Summer was absolutely phenomenal, especially at the Wellesley meet where she had her best throws to take two first places. Despite being the best thrower in two events, she maintains a humility and dedication to the art of throwing that is infectious to the other throwers.”
In volleyball and basketball and now in Track and Field, Summer has again proven herself as a skilled athlete. She continues to excel in her third sport season and has contributed greatly to the Walpole Track and Field Team. With two more years to go at Walpole High, Summer will be able to grow, perfect her throwing, and continue to set even more records.
