Repeatedly, Jordan Chick was asking himself, “Why am I doing this?”
During last week’s frigid temperatures and swirling winds, the Pinkerton Academy senior was outside practicing the weight throw, an event that’s not even sanctioned by the NHIAA.
Four straight days in the late afternoons, he was all bundled up, looking like the little brother in the movie “A Christmas Story,” chucking a 56-pound weight on top of a hill at the high school.
“I remember saying to myself, that I should be inside where it’s warm, throwing the shot put, which is something I’m good at,” he said with a laugh.
“I had the weight in one hand, a winter glove on the other hand. I had a sweatshirt on with a winter jacket over it. I had a hat on but both hoods over my head,” he noted. “Every time a gust of wind came, it hit you and your face would freeze. We’d be out there (90 minutes). It was just brutal. It was not the ideal environment to throw in.”
Behind the effort of assistant coach Dean Squires — who got approval by school administration and parents to bring three track athletes to compete in the weight throw at Friday’s Northeast Invitational Meet held at the Reggie Lewis Center — the misery that Chick and his teammates had to endure during those practices, was all worth it.
Competing against 33 other throwers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Chick unleashed his first ever competitive throw of 56-1, which was good for third place. That throw puts him two feet shy of qualifying for the National Meet and places him 71st in the entire country.
“Throwing indoors for the first time, in a jersey and shorts was a game-changer,” said Chick. “It made my form feel a lot smoother and it made it feel a lot less clunky. When I found out that I finished in third place, I ran down the bleachers and (Coach Squires) was surprised and so proud of me. It was amazing. When I found out, I was just so happy.”
This wasn’t the first time that he had success in a throwing event. Last indoor season, he finished second in the shot put, throwing 48 feet, to help the Astros capture the Division I state championship title. Last outdoors, he threw 47 feet to finish fifth, helping the team finish second.
He’s now in the middle of his third full year on the indoor and outdoor track teams after switching over from football.
“I played tight end and linebacker, and I just loved playing football,” said Chick, who stands in at 6-foot-3, 240-pounds. “Then unfortunately, I suffered too many head injuries, and my doctors told me that I shouldn’t play contact sports anymore.”
Several years later, Chick’s lifting buddy Charlie Franks suggested that he give track a try but concentrate on the shot put. Jordan listened and went out for the team during the indoor season, his sophomore year.
“Jordan had a natural strength to it, and he picked it up quickly,” said Squires, who added that the goal is to get the weight throw sanctioned in New Hampshire one day. “He first threw 35 feet, and then it went to 39. At the Clipper Relays, he threw 44-feet, and he just took off from there. When we got to the Division 1 championship meet (last indoor season), his first throw was 48 feet – everything just clicked.”
This indoor season he is throwing in the 44-foot range but said that he hasn’t dedicated as much time to that event because of his new love for the weight throw. He’ll get one last crack at competing in the weight event this weekend at the East Coast Championship Meet to be held in Providence, R.I.
“I’m getting ready for that. I want to make sure that I’m prepared because I only have one more chance to compete and qualify,” he said. “My dream is to go to Nationals. I never thought I could have that possibility until last Friday.”