Brock Schenck has made big sacrifices and important changes over the last year.
Those paid off for the Bordentown Regional High School senior when he qualified in boys shot put for the New Balance Nationals Indoors Track and Field meet held March 7-10 in Boston.
“It was really big for me, just being in my first year throwing shot put,” Schenck said. “It was hard, but it was a big accomplishment.”
Bordentown indoor track and field coach Brian Wheeler has been impressed by Schenck’s evolution, but he has seen first hand how he developed so quickly. He credits Schenck for putting his time into his training.
“For indoor, you have to train inside, so we had to use the auxiliary gym, and we had to wait until the wrestlers were done, and sometimes the middle schoolers would come over,” Wheeler said. “There were times we had to throw at 6 or 7 o’clock at night and it might be the same time as a big basketball game or his friends were doing stuff. He was always there. He was normally there before I got here. Such a strong work ethic, that definitely helped him get where he is today.”
Making that commitment paid off when he qualified for indoor nationals. He threw a personal-record of 54-feet-8 in the indoor shot in January before an injury cost him further advancement. He placed 52nd at indoor nationals.
“The environment was really cool,” said Schenck of the meet in Boston. “It was a good learning experience. I kind of know how those big level national competitions are and what to expect going in better. I think that’ll transfer to outdoors this year and help me do a lot better.”
Schenck is back to work for the spring. He saw his training efforts rewarded over the winter season when there were so many other options to take up his time.
“Especially your senior year,” Wheeler said. “Your senior year is supposed to be a lot of fun, hang out with friends, doing this, that and the third. He sacrificed a lot. I don’t think he looks back on it. I think he’s glad that he did and it’s definitely going to help him in the future. I’m excited to see how he does in the spring.”
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Becoming a top thrower is a significant shift for Schenck, who considered himself first and foremost a football player until this past year. He’d played linebacker for the Scotties, but he moved away from the gridiron after a successful spring outdoor track and field season.
His rapid development opened the door to a spot on the University of Virginia track and field team for next year.
“I love football,” Schenck said. “I still do. But I had a lot better opportunities in track. I figured I would go with that. The recruiting process itself was very late. It was kind of rushed all fall. Usually you take a year or two to go through it. I had to take a lot of visits this fall, reached out to a lot of coaches and I was fortunate to be put in a good opportunity with a lot of good schools.”
Schenck gave up football his senior fall to continue to focus on the throwing events that had suddenly become a terrific option for him beyond high school.
“I decided not to play my senior season and put 100 percent effort into throwing,” Schenck said. “I think that was what was best for my future. I still think it is.”
Schenck has a huge upside that got college coaches interested. They could see how far he was throwing in just a short amount of time, and know with more training and time he is only going to improve.
“That was a big selling point of mine in reaching out to coaches,” Schenck said. “A lot of them liked that just because I’m so new to the sport, there’s a lot I can learn. I still have incredible room for improvement. They’re really interested in that aspect of me.”
Schenck has been turning heads with his evolution as a thrower. His first full spring season throwing ended with him winning the boys discus at the Central Jersey Group 2 championships with a personal-record throw of 138-feet-2.
He also placed fourth in the boys javelin in the sectional with a best of 153 feet. Not bad for someone who had come in expecting to contribute in other areas.
“I actually was a sprinter for track and I got really bad shin splints, so I tried throwing that one season,” Schenck said. “I ended up really liking it and being pretty good at it so I stuck with it.”
He took up the shot put for the first time in July. He taught himself while continuing to work to excel in his top event, discus. Schenck was hoping that he would develop into a more complete thrower.
“I just wanted to be good at multiple events, help the team out and score this spring in multiple events,” he said. “It was something that if you get good at shot, it helps translate to discus.”
Discus has been Schenck’s top event. The throws are often lumped together, but shot, discus and javelin each have unique aspects and throwers have to figure out which suits them best.
“The disc has a lot of technique involved so you do have to work really hard,” Wheeler said. “It’s not just power, and strength and quickness. It’s a lot of technique, not that shot and jav isn’t. But I think disc is a big mental sport as well. That’s something that he definitely has. A lot of the shot putters and javelin throwers might be 6-foot-6 or -8. He’s on the smaller end for athletes compared to that.”
Yet Schenck came up plenty big in the winter. Few would have anticipated he could reach the nationals qualifier in his first indoor season in an event he picked up over the summer on his own.
“I was totally shocked,” Wheeler said. “It’s not easy to qualify for anything, and considering he’d never done it before, especially as a senior. A lot of the guys that were there, they’ve done it for four or five years at least. For him to do it after just starting a few months ago, part of me was totally shocked and part of me wasn’t. I know he’s got such a strong work ethic that I knew if anybody could do it, he could do it.”
Schenck teamed with Will Jacobs and Jaden Spirito to train over the winter. They helped motivate each other, and helped each other reach new levels. Schenck rose all the way to a nationals qualifier.
“He had some good workout partners,” Wheeler said. “Having Will and Jaden really helped push him along. I don’t think he wouldn’t have done as good if those guys weren’t here as well. I was really excited and I’m pumped to see how he does in the spring.”
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Schenck has been a fast learner. He has picked up the throwing events quickly and been fine-tuning the technique required while also lifting and getting stronger. It’s why coaches are so excited about his future.
“I think he’s going to do really, really well,” Wheeler said. “When we first started in December, every meet he got better and better and better. Unfortunately he got injured and lost the last six weeks of training and that definitely hurt him for nationals. He wasn’t able to qualify for states because he was injured. But it was kind of cool to watch him progress throughout the weeks tremendously. I’m super excited to see how he does throughout the spring and in college as well. He’s somebody I’m going to keep an eye on in college to see how well he does and I’ll try to communicate with him and do whatever I can to help him out.”
First, though, Schenck is focusing on doing his best in the spring track and field season and is hopeful his indoor experiences further his throwing career. He spent much of the summer developing his technique for discus.
“I worked with some private coaching, some family friends that were kind of experienced throwers,” Schenck said. “I was up to the mark where I would have been an All-American qualifier so that’s kind of my goal for New Balance in June.”
Schenck is diving again into his training this spring. The key for him will be continuing to develop his potential. He’s taking a step-by-step approach.
“I think just with good coaching and consistency, having a good work habit every day and each week focusing on one thing, the next week on another,” Schenck said. “At the end of the season, hopefully I put it all together and peak at nationals.”
Schenck has big goals for the spring for the discus, and he will be able to help Bordentown in the shot and javelin as well. Just for good measure, and with an eye on his college career, he’s also working at a new event.
“I actually started throwing hammer about a month or two ago because I know in the future I’m most likely going to be a disc/hammer guy in college just because of my build and the kind of technique you do for it,” Schenck said. “I’m only a couple months in, but I’m progressing pretty well. Hopefully also I want to compete in it at nationals this year.”
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Given what Brock Schenck was able to do this winter, no one would doubt his chances. He improved rapidly enough in shot put to make indoor nationals thanks to some big changes and sacrifices.
“It was definitely a surprise, but I worked at it every day,” he said. “I’m very glad I made it. I didn’t do too great, but I learned a lot at nationals indoor. I’m excited for outdoor. Hopefully I can make All-American for discus. I’m kind of ready for outdoor nationals.”
Bordentown senior Brett Schenck’s switch of focus from football to shot put has led to an opportunity to join the University of Virginia track and field team next year.,
