ChRISTIAN SMITH
McDonald senior Christian Smith finished his high school career with a really fun redemption story — only it wasn’t very much fun until a few weeks ago.
“Yeah, 365 days of it was not cool,” he said.
After a near-flawless junior year, Smith had a nightmarish state meet in 2014, fouling his first two discus throws (something he NEVER did), then failing to make the finals after entering the competition as the overwhelming title favorite.
After another strong regular season that saw him set the overall Division III record (203 feet, 9 inches), Smith surviving a dicey 2015 regional — he again fouled the first two throws, then hit 191 feet on his third — to make it back to Columbus. He fought off some nerves before his first attempt, then threw a 178-footer that, essentially, ended the competition. Two throws later, Smith topped out at 191-2 to become the 63rd Blue Devil to win an individual state track title.
“My state performance wasn’t the best performance I had all year, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” he said.
Smith started his high school career as a 130-pound cross country runner who had fiddled around with shot put and discus in middle school, but nothing more.
“I thought it looked cool when I was younger,” he said of throwing. “Maybe my pre-pubescent self wanted to bulk up a little bit or something. Who knows?”
While Smith added muscle, he still looks more like a high school safety than an offensive lineman.
“I can actually carry a 1.7-kilogram disc instead of throwing it around like a little toy or something,” he said.
Next year, the McDonald valedictorian will compete at Kent State, following in the footsteps of other Blue Devil state champions such as Matthias Tayala, Joh’Vonnie Mosley and Jai’Lyn Mosley.
“You could say that had some sort of influence but I wouldn’t let that make my decision for me at all,” he said. “The main reason why I liked Kent is was just because I felt at home.”