After four years of reaching for the school record in the discus set by Austen Brinker in 2012, Charles Broomfield finally broke the 157-2 foot mark and set his own stamp on the record board with a massive toss of 159-7.

On a sunny St. Patrick’s Day in Pueblo, Broomfield entered into the discus ring as the second seed in the state for 5A and having had already thrown a new personal best in the shot put, breaking 50 feet for the first time with a mighty heave of 50-5, good for second place. Waiting for the first 40 competitors before finally stepping in, Broomfield had plenty of time to think about what he wanted to do. “Whenever I go into a competition, I always try to land a decent mark in my first two throws so that I can attack my personal bests on my later throws,” said Broomfield of his meet strategy. By his second throw, he had already broken the school record. According to Broomfield however, “the record is not enough, and I knew I had more energy. I didn’t want to try and adjust my technique, but I tried to relax as quickly as possible and avoided wasting my energy on a celebration.” His forward thinking paid off, and on his next throw, Broomfield smashed the school record for a second time.  

Broomfield is a veteran thrower who has made two appearances at state; he qualified his sophomore year in the discus, and his junior year in both discus and shot put. He has secured two seventh-place finishes, and this year, Mr. Nottingham, the head throws coach, believes he could finish in the top three. Nottingham called Broomfield’s performance “pretty awesome,” adding, “I was really pleased to finally see him get the school record, he’s been wanting to do that for all four years.” Broomfield echoed this sentiment, saying “I have been searching for this record since I was a freshman,” and his first reaction upon hearing his mark was “relief.”

By adding his name to the school record board, Broomfield joins the ranks of Isabella Janney, 11, and Justin Dwinell, 12, who were a part of record-breaking teams in the women’s 4×4 and men’s 4×1, respectively. Broomfield is not satisfied with just one record, however, and plans to further his mark on Coronado history. “The school record for shot put has stood since 2002, and I would love to put my name up on the record board in two places,” said Broomfield of his goals.

With such a strong start to the season, it is a safe bet that Broomfield will continue to have success…we are only three weeks in, after all. Come to support Broomfield and the rest of the team on April 13th at Garry Berry Stadium.