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Brode’s sights set on national mark
By JON MOFFETT
CANFIELD
Photo
Canfi eld’s Dustin Brode broke the district and stadium records in shot at the Division I district championship meet in Austintown recently. He also won in discus.
Forget state. Canfield High’s Dustin Brode wants to be No. 1 in the nation when it comes to high school shot put.
The impressive thing is he’s not too far off.
In his first throw at the Division I district meet last weekend, Brode hurled the 12-pound lead ball more than 65 feet. The toss broke the district record. Two throws later, Brode scored a 69-foot mark, shattering the record he had set minutes before, and the oldest record in the district meet. It had stood since 1972.
Instead of celebrating, Brode shook his head in disappointment.
“Man, that [stunk],” he said.
Brode, a senior, wants to set a mark of 76-2 prior to summer’s end. His career best is a state-record 71-6.
“That’s my ultimate goal for this year,” Brode said.
But the mortar attached to Brode’s right shoulder may not even be the most impressive aspect about him. His 3.8 grade point average earned him a coveted spot at Harvard University this fall.
When asked about his goals, Brode was very straightforward and candid.
“I want to be a millionaire,” he said with a big smile. “But I’m leaning toward a doctor. The rankings just came out that Harvard does have the best medical school in the nation. It was pretty much because of its reputation and because it’s the best school in the world.”
Brode admitted that only the best will do for him.
“I’m kind of an alpha-type person,” he said. “I just always need to be on top all the time. That’s how I stay satisfied.”
The 6-foot, 240-pounder has been shattering area records like panes of glass in the way of his shot. But it isn’t just the points he is scoring that is helping his team so much.
Throwing coach Nick Wagner said he wishes he could have a dozen more Dustin Brodes. Not just because of his athletic ability — Brode is equally as dominant in the discus event — but also because of his leadership.
“He’s wonderful in more than just in terms of his distances,” Wagner said. “He’s been a great asset in helping the younger kids out. We have a lot of young kids, and they look up to him. He’s a great person and a great guy. And a great coach on top of it.”
Wagner said Brode is such a pleasure to coach because of his upbringing. Wagner said it’s not uncommon to see Brode’s parents, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins at the meets.
But Brode’s biggest supporter is the guy who tosses the shot.
Brode is used to winning, and many time in convincing fashion. At the district meet, the second-place finisher, Warren Harding’s Aaron Wilson, was more than 10 feet shorter.
“It’s a lot of self-motivation,” Brode said. “I look a lot at how I’ve done before, and I compare myself against myself. But I’m also chasing people from the past and their marks.”
Wagner said he uses Brode’s approach of always bettering himself as a teaching tool for the rest of the team.
“You just can’t teach that,” Wagner said.