If not for a foot scratch on her final throw of the 2007 Kansas Relays, Tonganoxie High senior Roxi Grizzle would be a three-time javelin champion at the prestigious track and field event.
After winning the event in 2006 with a throw of 148-feet, 1-inch, Grizzle reached 160 feet during her junior year but finished fourth because of the scratch.
Her toss of 160 feet would have won by nine inches.
Friday, as a light drizzle fell around her, Grizzle made up for the mishap by setting a new personal record and winning the Kansas Relays with a throw of 163-11. Her winning mark was nearly 31â2 feet farther than her previous best of 160-6 and 15 feet farther than that of second-place finisher, Heather Bergmann, of Concordia.
It also was something Girzzle sensed would come the moment she got out of bed.
“I woke up thinking it was going to be a good day,” Grizzle said. “I like throwing in the rain. I’m weird like that.”
Although winning at KU was old hat for the THS senior, she said her latest victory was her favorite because it came during her final try.
Friday was the continuation of a good run for the Grizzle family. Earlier this season, Grizzle and her younger sisters Roni (a junior) and Domonique (a freshman) finished 1-2-3 in the shot put at the Tonganoxie Invitational and Basehor-Linwood High’s Bobcat Relays.
Roni, who was first at both meets, placed fifth at the Kansas Relays on Friday with a put of 40-9.5. Roxi finished 19th in the event.
For Beth Grizzle, the girls’ mother, seeing two of her daughters earn medals at a meet that has featured names such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Ryun and Maurice Greene was quite a thrill.
“It’s awesome,” Beth said. “I’m getting goosebumps just hearing those names.”
In other Tonganoxie news Friday, 2007 THS graduate Ali Pistora, now a freshman at Kansas State University, placed fifth in the javelin with a top throw of 141-9, and current Chieftain Jeremy Carlisle, a freshman, placed sixth in the 800, setting a school record with a time of 1:58.75.
In other area action, Eudora’s Emily Ballock finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.61 seconds; De Soto’s 4×1-mile relay team of Chesney Burgweger, Lacey Erickson, Shelbi Petty and Beth Reichenberger finished ninth, one spot out of a medal with a time of 23:03.08; Mill Valley’s Katie Bauer finished 12th in the triple jump, with a top jump of 34-7.5; and Mill Valley’s Jasa DuMontelle finished 10th (5-2) in the high jump.
