The Marvin Ridge senior exploded onto the scene this winter, but it was the hard work during the offseason that paved the way.
Sometimes, an athlete that was a little bit off of the radar screen makes a big jump forward and surprises everyone with an elevated level of performances. When that happens, it is almost always because the athlete decided to take his or her game to the next level, and usually it is the result of a lot of hard work in the offseason. We see that a lot with cross country runners emerging after a strong summer, but in the case of Alex Tate it had to do with both the summer and fall. After throwing a best of 45' 1" during his junior year, the Marvin Ridge Maverick exploded this winter, reaching 53' 1", good enough for 6th in the state overall and fourth in the loaded 3A classification. That improvement has extended to the discus this young outdoor season, as he has absolutely destroyed his previous PR (119') with his first performance, a 145' 11" toss that has him ranked 4th in the state all-classes right now. So all of you youngsters that want to make a splash in the future, take heed and listen to the interview - it's hard work, and only hard work, that can get you there!
Alex Tate's Athlete Profile