His experience at the CIF state track and field championships lasted all of three throws, but just getting that far was a victory for Palisades High shot putter Marcellus Cole.
The senior had needed a personal-best effort of 45 feet on his sixth and last attempt at the City Section finals to qualify for state and he was thrilled to make the trip north to Buchanan High in Clovis.
Cole’s first two attempts at the state preliminaries Friday went out of bounds and on the third he stepped out of the ring, thus leaving him no chance of advancing to Saturday’s finals.
“These are the only scratches I’ve had all year,” Cole said. “I guess I got a little unnerved after the first time. It’s completely unexplainable. Something got to me.”
Without a coach, Cole has had to teach himself the sport by watching YouTube videos and gleaning whatever advice he can from fellow competitors.
“I learned a lot here by looking at their form,” said Cole, who used the word “awesome” when describing called USC-bound Matt Katnik, the national leader at 72-3. “There are a lot of skinny guys throwing a lot further than me, which goes to show it’s not about muscle, it’s about technique.”
Cole hopes to continue competing in the shot put and also play football at Santa Monica College. When asked what position he spouted “Offensive or defensive line–anything that doesn’t touch the ball. As far as shot put I’m excited to see what I can do in a year with real coaching.”
Cole lives in Baldwin Hills and attended Paul Revere Middle School before Pali High. He was one of only three student speakers at graduation and reflected on his time at Palisades in chronological order because, as he concluded “the best things in life are saved for last.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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