Emmanuel Martinez’s friends talked him into competing with the Seymour track and field team as a sophomore, but he sat out his junior year.

He decided to come back out this spring, and with his build and strength, Martinez felt like he could help the Owls better in other events and switched to throwing the discus after running the 800 as a sophomore.

“The weights were definitely more competitive for me and my type of body,” Martinez said. “I did discus. I didn’t try shot. I thought (discus) was fun…more fun than running.”

Martinez said since this was his first year throwing, he would glide across the ring, and didn’t get into the spin technique.

Martinez said he worked hard to improve.

“Most of practice was just doing the form for me,” he said. “Most of the guys tried to throw as far as they could, but I tried to focus more on my form. The guys said I had one of the best forms. I wasn’t one of the best throwers, but I still did it.”

Martinez said he improved throughout the season.

“My best throw was 90 (feet). That was my personnel record,” he said. “That was the last night I threw.”

He said he always tried to work hard in practice.

“Practice was pretty important,” Martinez said. “I definitely did improve with every practice. I tried to push myself a lot. I would always be disappointed to just throw in the 80s. Some of my friends would progress a lot more than I would, so I really pushed myself.”

During the season, Martinez looked forward to the home meets.

He said he enjoyed throwing on the ring at Bulleit Stadium. New surfaces for all the field events were put in prior to the 2018 season.

He has enjoyed being a student at SHS.

“I would say the teachers I’ve had are really good teachers,” Martinez said. “They would give me extra time to focus on things I need help with. I think the thing I will remember the most is the friends I’ve made during those meets and the different practices and stuff like that.”

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Names: Emmanuel Martinez

High school: Seymour

Parents: Paula Cabrera, Alejandra Martinez

Siblings: Alex, Jovany

Sports: track and field 2 years

Organizations: JAG, St. Ambrose Youth Group

Plans after high school: attend IUPUC for mechanical engineering

Favorite food: pizza

Favorite TV show: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Favorite movie: Avatar

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