Mastering his craft

Booker High senior Jamal Watson's parents both ran track in high school, and it seemed natural that Watson would follow in their footsteps. 

Only it didn’t quite turn out that way. 

“I ended up being a lot bigger than they thought I was going to be,” the 6-foot-1, 322 pound Watson said. 

Watson knew he wasn’t fast, but he wanted to leave his mark on the Sarasota Middle School track team. The then-seventh grader picked up a shot put and never looked back.

“Shot put is like a marathon,” Watson said. “You have to take your time and do it your way and no one else’s.”

“I know it’s not the most glamorous part of the track and field spectrum, but I like when people watch and see me do a good thing,” he said. 

Five years later, Watson steps into the ring and places the shot put in his right hand before tucking it by his neck. His left side relaxed, he kicks his leg into the air and completes a 180-degree turn, helping to propel the shot put even further. With only one event on his schedule, Watson has been able to spend all of him time developing and thinking of ways to better perfect his craft. 

He knows what he’s capable of: a 45-foot throw from a standing position and a 50-foot throw with the addition of a swift 180-degree kick. 

That 5-foot differential is what continually separates Watson from the rest of the competition and has put him in his own class. 

“It’s not normal,” a modest Watson said. 

Watson, who also played nose tackle and right guard for the Tornadoes football team, understands that first-place finishes are never guaranteed. 

“There are some really good throwers in the Sarasota area,” Watson said. “I hear people talking all the time about how they have to work hard to try and catch Jamal. I enjoy the challenge. It keeps me on my toes."

With each throw, Watson attempts to replicate the technique that has gotten him to this point. After all, he only has three chances to show what he can do. 

Shot put is a unique event in that the practice and preparation done outside of the ring is what ultimately determines success. Strength and proper technique go hand-in-hand.

Currently, Watson only throws on Tuesday afternoons and during meets, which are typically on Fridays. The other three days are dedicated to weight training, which he alternates between upper and lower body exercises, and recuperation therapy.  

“He doesn’t like to lose," throwing coach Jeremy Diggins said. "He’s excited by the fact that everyone is trying to beat him. He’s passionate about throwing and getting better.” 

After reaching the regional meet his freshman year, Watson realized he might have a chance for a repeat performance. He advanced to the regional meet each of the next two seasons and qualified for the state tournament last season, where he finished 11th with a mark of 46 feet, 1 inch. 

At the time, Watson was just happy to make it to the state meet. 

Now, he wants more. 

Watson has won all four meets Booker has competed in so far this spring, including the March 4 Booker Invitational with a throw of 48 feet, 4 inches — more than 3 feet farther than the competition. 

“He throws really far, and sometimes you just sit back and think ‘Whoa did that just happen?” sophomore thrower Nikki Van der Linden said of Watson. “I’ve learned a lot just by watching his technique because he’s been doing it for so long.”

“It pushes you to get on that level,” sophomore teammate Christian McKay said. “It’s motivation.” 

As one of 10 throwers on the Tornadoes track team and the only one with state meet experience, Watson has been working with his teammates, particularly on the girls side with Van der Linden and McKay, who are both first-year throwers. 

Watson continually encourages the girls to remain positive while pointing out specific areas on which to improve. 

“He leads by example rather than being a verbal cheerleader,” distance coach Steven Crane said of Watson, who is one of Booker’s co-captains. “The athletes look up to him, respect him and prescribe to what he’s saying.”

With only four meets remaining before he steps into his home ring at the Class 2A-District 11 meet, Watson already is looking ahead to the future and the possibility of bettering his Class 2A state meet performance from a year ago. 

“At the end of the day, I’m just trying to finish in the top three in the state and bring something back to Booker,” Watson said. “I just want to represent the school. As long as I know I worked hard enough and left it all out there on that final throw, then I’ll be happy with myself and have no regrets.”