HAMMER THROWER BACK AFTER INJURY MOORPARK'S SUGISHITA IS STRONGER.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News MOORPARK - Tommy Sugishita ignored his doctor's advice to stop competing in the hammer throw hammer throw Athletic event in which a hammer is thrown for distance. The hammer consists of a 16-lb (7.26-kg) metal ball attached to a spring steel wire handle that measures not more than 4 ft (1.2 m) in length. to avoid aggravating a back injury and instead took a training tip from 2004 Olympic champion Koji Murofushi Koji Alexander Murofushi (Japanese: 室伏 アレクサンダー 広治, Murofushi Arekusandā Kōji; born October 8, 1974 in Numazu, Shizuoka) is a Japanese hammer thrower. . The Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. sophomore is glad he did. After missing the 2004 season with an injury sustained while lifting weights, Sugishita has emerged among the state's top hammer throwers This is a list of hammer throwers.
Sugishita has thrown 168 feet, an improvement of more than 20 feet from his freshman season in 2003. Murofushi trained for a week at Moorpark College last spring during a visit to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to compete in the Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field. History The first annual Prefontaine Classic took place in 1974. in Oregon. Murofushi took a special interest in Sugishita, who is half Japanese
Half Japanese . When Murofushi learned of Sugishita's dilemma, he demonstrated abdominal muscle strengthening exercises to alleviate his back problems. Murofushi told Sugishita that he would never have back pain again if performed the exercises 15 minutes a day. ``I am probably stronger now than before I got hurt,'' Sugishita said. ``It was really difficult for me watching everyone throw. I didn't really set any goals than to throw as far as I was capable of and be healthy for a whole season.'' It's been a while for the 5-foot-9, 255-pound, Sugishita, who first injured his back in his junior year of high school while playing basketball. Sugishita aggravated the injury when he was lifting weights in his sophomore season. Doctors recommended surgery and that Sugishita stop competing in the weight events. ``They essentially told him to pick another sport,'' Moorpark throws coach Bob MacKay said. Instead, Sugishita opted for visits to a chiropractor chiropractor a practitioner in chiropractic. chiropractor A health professional trained in chiropractic; chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs; of 50,000 licensed chiropractors in the US, many practice 'straight' chiropractic, ie and acupuncture four times a week. Then came the visit by Murofushi, who helped provide inspiration for Sugishita to continue his comeback last summer. ``I was so banged up and sore from throwing and lifting again,'' Sugishita said. ``I started off slowly and I've continued to get better.'' MacKay has also learned from Sugishita's injury woes from research and consultation with medical specialists. ``He's made me such a better coach,'' MacKay said. ``I am an expert on the lower back now.'' Like his meeting with Murofushi, it was fate that brought Sugishita to Moorpark after his 2002 graduation from Arroyo Grande High. He was to attend Long Beach State until it was discovered the week before fall classes began that Sugishita did not fulfill the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I academic requirements to compete. Sugishita enrolled at Moorpark College three days before the start of the fall semester upon the recommendation of his high school coach Robert Budke. ``I just wanted to get the ball rolling and start throwing instead of going through all the nooks and crannies Noun 1. nooks and crannies - something remote; "he explored every nook and cranny of science" nook and cranny detail, item, point - an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" of classes that I was missing,'' Sugishita said. Before coming to Moorpark, Sugishita specialized in the discus, an event in which he finished third in the 2002 Southern Section Division I final as an Arroyo Grande High senior and fourth in the state junior college meet as a Moorpark freshman in 2003. Sugishita now calls the hammer his forte. His development this season has led to interest from Northern Arizona, Arizona and Colorado State. Moorpark, which has produced the last four state junior college champions in the hammer, has one of the state's top duos with Sugishita and his roommate, Utah State sophomore transfer Colin Veldman, who holds the state's top mark this season. ``I believe if he wasn't here or I wasn't here, we would both not be as good,'' Sugishita said. ``It's a symbolic relationship.'' And a competitive one. Whether its in the weight room or bowling on Tuesday nights at 25-cent games at Harley's Simi Bowl. ``It's definitely a plus for us to get together,'' Veldman said. ``To have somebody on the same team in the same house where we can watch hammer videos, carpool car·pool n. also car pool 1. An arrangement whereby several participants or their children travel together in one vehicle, the participants sharing the costs and often taking turns as the driver. 2. or get stoked stoked adj. Slang 1. Exhilarated or excited. 2. Being or feeling high or intoxicated, especially from a drug. for a meet.'' HAMMER TIME Tommy Sugishita School: Moorpark College Sport: Track & Field Event: Hammer Throw Height: 5-9 Weight: 255 pounds Update: Sugishita, who will compete in the Western State Conference preliminaries on April 16, missed the 2004 season because of a back injury. He has returned this season with a career-best 168 feet and helped Moorpark (10-0) extend its WSC WSC Winter Symposium on Chemometrics WSC Winter Simulation Conference WSC Wayne State College WSC Westfield State College (Westfield, MA) WSC Western State College (Colorado) dual meet streak to 77. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Moorpark College's Tommy Sugishita, who missed the 2004 season because of a back injury, has emerged as one of the state's best hammer throwers. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: HAMMER TIME (see text) |
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