FS_060117

frankfortstation.com sports
the frankfort station | June 1, 2017 | 47
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Cole Paraday
This week in ...
Griffins athletics
Baseball
■June ■ 5 at supersectional*
Girls soccer
■June ■ 2 at state*
■June ■ 3 at state*
Softball
■June ■ 3 at sectional*
■June ■ 5 at supersectional*
Cole Paraday is a senior
on the Lincoln-Way East
track and field team. He
placed seventh at state in
discus.
How are you preparing
for state competition?
I hit qualifying marks
throughout my season, but
I’ve never gotten through
sectional. Throwing discus
can be kind of a mind
game. It’s all about technique.
This week, I’m trying to
work on my technique and
have it down for state. I’m
not trying to take it hard this
week because I want to be
nice and loose for state. But
other than that, I’m really
excited, and I just want to
make a big mark and PR before
[the end] of my senior
year.
What does it feel like
to qualify for the first
time?
It feels good. I’m not done
yet. Now that I’m going to
state, my goal is to place — I
want to place Top 3.
How do you get your
mind in the right place?
Once I step in the ring, I
just try and clear my mind
and stay calm. The more
relaxed I am, the better
I’ll throw. If you’re really
pumped up — I mean, it’s
okay to be pumped up,
that’s good — but if you’re
really nervous and tense,
it’s going to be different to
throw.
How did you start
throwing discus?
I started in sixth grade
throwing discus. My uncle
threw discus. I was always
a little bigger than everyone
else. I picked up a shot put
and discus, and I threw a
little farther than most people.
Once I started throwing
and making decent marks
throughout the state, I fell in
love with it. Hitting PRs in
discus and shot put — it’s a
great feeling. Not only does
it show your hard work is
paying off, but it’s also really
satisfying.
It was kind of difficult
throughout the years because
our schools never really
had a consistent coach.
I had to find myself a coach
that I could do on the side.
I found a really experienced
coach: Tom Pukstys. He’s
a former Olympian on the
javelin, but he’s a great
shot put and discus coach
as well. Once I started training
with him, he was really
helpful.
Other than that, I watched
YouTube videos.
Did your uncle influence
you to throw discus at
all?
He was really good in
high school. He never threw
in college. So whenever he
would come around, we
would go up to the rings at
Lincoln-Way North, where
I went last year. He would
kind of coach me up a little
bit. He tried his best, and we
tried to spend as much time
on discus as possible.
A few years ago, he bought
me disks, so I use those to
train all the time.
What are your plans for
after high school?
After high school, I am
going to attend the United
States Navel Academy. I got
recruited to throw there. I
took an official visit in December.
I loved it, and I look
forward to going. I just felt
really comfortable and love
the atmosphere. I’m excited
to throw there, too, and it’s a
great school.
... It was a really long
process, too, because I had
to get an interview with the
congressman.
What do you plan on
studying?
I plan on majoring in cyber
operations.
What interests you
about the Navy and
cyber operations?
I love computers and
technology. I took keyboarding
and computer science
in high school, and it
was definitely something
that were my top classes.
I kind of knew from the
beginning that I wanted to
major in something in technology
or computers.
The Navy, I have a long
family history of family
members who were in
the military. My grandfather
served in the Marines,
and my cousin is in
the Navy.
It crossed my mind several
times that I wanted to join
the military.
Are you excited for
graduation?
I’m looking forward to
graduation, definitely. It’s
crazy; high school flew by
really fast. It was really fun.
I had a great time, and I met
a lot of new people since we
transferred from North to
East.
My last day was [May
22], technically, since I don’t
have to take any finals. It’s
weird, since it’s like, ‘wow,
I’m done with high school.’
I’m excited to take the next
step in my life.
Who are your role
models?
Both my parents. My dad
and my mom. Without them,
I wouldn’t be able to do many
Photo submitted
things. I have a car with them,
and without them, I wouldn’t
be able to go to practice.
Sometimes I have to pay for
coaching lessons, and without
them, I wouldn’t be able
to do much of that. They support
me all the time — they
come to my meets. They’re
always there for me.
Tom Pukstys, he’s a great
role model too when it comes
to track and field. He’s very
experienced. He dedicates
a lot of time to helping me
practice.
Sometimes it can be
stressful. I mean, I’ve had a
few meets this year where I
didn’t do as well as I thought
I would. But I came back
from that, and I qualified
for state. With this last meet,
I’m just looking to do what
I’m capable of.
Interview by Kirsten Onsgard,
Editor.
Boys volleyball
■June ■ 2 at state*
■June ■ 3 at state*
*If necessary
high school
highlights
The rest of the week in
high school sports
Baseball
Lincoln-Way East 13,
Thornton Fractional South 3
Jimmy Quinn and Mike
Wallace helped pull the Griffins
out of a fourth-inning
3-point deficit. The Griffins
responded with 12 runs in
the bottom of the fourth to
beat TF South May 25.
Softball
Lincoln-Way East 10,
Thornton Fractional South 2
Alex Storako went 2-for-
3 with a grand slam and 5
RBI, along with pitching
17 strikeouts during the win
against TF South.
Boys Volleyball
Lincoln-Way East 25-17, 25-
21 over Providence Catholic.
Ian Piet had 9 kills during
the non-conference win over
the Celtics.
Lincoln-Way East 25-20, 25-
22 over Lincoln-Way West
Ian Piet had 9 kills, Mike
Herlihy had 4 kills and
Danny Pacini had 9 digs
in the May 24 win over the
Warriors.