As C.S. Lewis Academy junior Faith Larsen steps into the discus ring, she takes a moment to collect herself.
Just breathe.
Negative thoughts are her kryptonite, and Larsen refuses to become overwhelmed. She gets low to the ground, legs shoulder width apart, imagining a pole is going through her body, keeping her aligned.
Stay on your toes. Keep the hand flat. Balance.
She spins and unleashes a toss. Her mark? Well, more likely than not this season, whatever it is, it likely just set another school record.
"On that first day (of practice), she wanted those records. And she's done it,” C.S. Lewis assistant track and field coach Larry Goodroe said. “She did it right out of the gate and she just keeps excelling every practice, every meet since then.”
In just her first year in the program, Larsen — who transferred to C.S. Lewis Academy from Ellensburg, Washington, this year — has shattered school records in the discus and shot put, orchestrating a historic campaign for the Watchmen.
“She's a great competitor and likes to come out and just have fun every day in practice and at the meets, which is the most important thing to me with the athletes — just come out here have fun,” Goodroe said. “Fun is translating into some big marks for her, especially in discus this year.”
Larsen currently holds the top mark in the discus in the Special District 1 at 109 feet, 9 inches, and enters the districts championships on Friday, May 10, at Portland Christian High School with over a 10-foot advantage over second-seeded Audra Rose from St. Paul.
She’s re-broken the school record three times this season — twice beating herself — as her personal best throw is over a 30-foot improvement from the initial school record set in 2016 by Sierra Walsh.
And the junior still believes she has more to give.
“I definitely want to break 110,” Larsen said. “My top goal right now is probably to hit about 115 to 120 because I throw that in practice. And overall have fun because discus is a huge passion for me, but it's a lot more about just having fun with it than competing.”
Settling in
Beyond dominating the district, Larsen is second in the 1A classification in the discus, just over half a foot behind Sherman’s Sophie Hulke. Meanwhile, in the shot put, her personal best of 32-5 positions her third in the district and eighth in the state.
If Larsen throws to her potential, podium finishes undoubtedly await her at the state championships at Hayward Field in Eugene. It will surely be a season to remember, even if it came as a bit of a surprise.
“I did (expect to be competitive) for at least the district and league, but state was a little bit of a surprise because I had heard that in Oregon, they have some of the top throwers,” Larsen said. “I was very surprised that I would be doing so well that I'd be going to state, because last year in Ellensburg I made it to regionals, but not quite state. So, I'm very excited this year and grateful for this opportunity.”
The success she’s found in her new environment, however, has its roots back in Ellensburg. Continuity is always desired, so despite a new locale, Larsen still has one of her former coaches by her side — her dad, Randy Larsen.
The Larsen’s moved to Newberg once Randy Larsen accepted a job at George Fox University as the Director of Development after spending 20-plus years with Engineering Ministries International.
“Before that he was incredibly gifted in discus throughout high school,” Faith said. “He definitely nailed his technique and is super able to help me throw well. (And) through EMI, he was able to travel a lot and get to know people from all over the world, so he gets to give me that communication experience as well as throwing experience.”
Faith has wasted little time utilizing the communication skills passed on by her father. She may have arrived to the Watchmen as a stranger, but is fully integrated into the school and community, often seen chatting with coaches and teammates in between breaks of competition.
“Everybody is incredibly nice,” Faith said. “We’re all very passionate about what we do, as well as encouraging with everybody's events. It feels so nice having that many people — even if it's just 25 — it's that many people still encouraging you and pushing you to do your best. We all have fun at the same time and we're able to joke about everything.”
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