Orono's Jake Koffman has come a long way since being a middle school sprinter. I had the chance to interview him before one of his practices, and we discussed college, competing, setbacks, etc. In recently throwing 191-11 feet in the discus, Jake is already poised to eclipse the New England meet record of 190 feet- and outdoor is just getting started. Aiming big, he's hoping to throw over 210 feet before the season ends, repeat as New England champion in the discus, and place as an All American at Nationals. And that's just the discus; Jake throws shot as well, and is hoping to throw over 60 feet this season. This weekend he will be competing at Penn Relays and is excited to watch some of the world's best throwers as well as attempt to make the podium.
Orono is undoubtedly a Class C powerhouse, indicated by their state meet sweep last outdoor season. Jake attributed this heavy track focus of the school to his current success. He said that his coach "puts a huge emphasis on team efforts", and that they hope to repeat as champions this spring. This domination in track & field can be linked to Orono's summer track program, where the high school athletes often come to contribute to younger kids' love for the sport, Jake said. The school's strength in a division with less competition leaves Jake often times throwing knowing he's going to win, even drawing gasps from the spectators. While he noted it can be an intimidating transition from no competition at regular season meets to immense amounts at Nationals, he sounded confident in his ability to perform at National's in a few months.
Clearly Jake is an outstanding senior athlete and his credentials prove that. As a reward for his hard work and dedication, he will be attending Stanford University next fall and throwing competitively for the prestigious school. I asked Jake how he managed to balance academics, athletics and his social life in such an adept manner that got him to this point. He laughed, called himself "A chronic procrastinator", but then said that the key was surrounding himself with a good group of friends. He takes classes he enjoys to make homework enjoyable, and by going to the gym with his friends he "doesn't have to struggle between hanging out with his friends and going and working out".
When it came time for Jake to decide on a college for next year, he was caught between Princeton and Stanford. However, he said that the deciding factors for him were "weather and his major". He said there was much more appeal in throwing at Stanford since he could throw outside year round, as opposed to train inside during the winter at Princeton. Not to mention that Stanford's new throwing coach has ameliorated the team, aiding almost everybody to set new PR's in just months after he got the position. After feeling confident in the Stanford coach's ability to improve his throwing, and getting a feel for the amazing California weather, Jake's choice was clear.
Before Jake headed to practice, I got to ask him a little bit more about competing this season. When asked if he had any pre-meet rituals, Jake said "I used to, but now my belief is to not have any rituals. I don't want to have any superstitions, so that way if something goes wrong, I'm not stressing out about it". Regarding setbacks for this season, he said he's been dealing with tendinitis in his knees from basketball which can sometime interfere with heavy squatting. Tendinitis aside, throwing 191-11 feet at the very start of the season was a huge feat. Jake's trajectory for greatness this season and beyond is indisputable.
