Winthrop’s Marthaline Cooper calm about NCAA indoor throwing national championship
When Winthrop throwing standout Marthaline Cooper takes the field Friday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Birmingham, Ala., the priority changes.
This meet is not about how far Cooper throws; it’s about who she beats. Every other meet this season has been the inverse.
“Anytime you get to a championship, whether it’s the Big South or the national, it’s how many people can you put behind you,” said Cooper’s coach at Winthrop, Brett Best.
Cooper had just woken up from a nap while riding to Alabama on Wednesday with Best in the driver’s seat.
“He’s a good driver,” she said, laughing.
“She’s saying that because I’m sitting here,” Best said over the Bluetooth speaker.
With six hours in the car, the pair had plenty of time to discuss how this weekend’s meet is just another meet.
“She’s been in a lot of big meets in her life,” said Best. “We’re doing our best not to make it a big deal. It’s just another meet with very good competition.”
It’s hard to picture Cooper getting rattled. This meet will be her third national championship competition and she’s as zen as the Christian music she listens to while warming up for her throws.
“I’m not very nervous going into this,” she said. “I know the competition and I’ve competed against these girls. Even though it’s anyone’s game, I’m going into it thinking of myself as the underdog because it helps me compete better.”
Cooper can think that, but she’s hardly the underdog. The Rhode Island native is ranked No. 2 in the field of 16 throwers, after spending a brief period earlier in the year ranked No. 1 in the country. Cooper noted that weight has historically been her best event, one she said has a special place in her heart.
Best’s star thrower burst onto the national scene last year as a sophomore, and she’s made a leap this season, aided in part by the graduation of last year’s senior-heavy class of title contenders.
“She’s always been a pretty good technical turner but now she’s making the ball move fast,” Best said.
An explanation: when the ball moves as fast as the thrower’s body is turning, greater distance is achieved. A ball that is behind the thrower or too far ahead is out of control. Fluidity is key in throwing field implements, in the same way that not trying to hit a golf ball 500 yards often leads to more successful drives from the tee box.
“Now, all the sudden it’s going 20 percent faster than it was,” said Best. “The idea is to accelerate the ball on each turn. Going slow in the first turn, medium on the second turn, fast on the third turn.”
Regardless of the outcome, Cooper has already made All-American. The first eight make first team, the second eight second team. She threw her personal record in the weight throw during a meet at Virginia Tech, chucking the implement 21.93 meters. She has thrown 21 meters or more five times this season.
“She is ready to throw her best,” said Best. “Whether she sets a (personal record) at the championship, one can never tell.”
Cooper was a little up and down last spring, so her hope is that a strong performance this weekend will catapult her into a consistent spring, where she hits long throws early in the season and continues to improve.
“Get to that elite level and hang there for a bit,” said Best.
Olympics in Cooper’s future?
It’s an Olympic year and while Winthrop’s Marthaline Cooper hasn’t outright discussed the possibility of making a run at this summer’s event, the idea is lingering.
“If she does something spectacular, like wins indoor or outdoor, then I think we’ll have to look really hard at it,” said Cooper’s coach, Brett Best.
The top 24 Americans qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials, and only the top-three from that bunch make the Olympics in Rio, provided of course that they hit the Olympic standard of 69 meters. If nothing changed from last year - highly unlikely - Cooper is 23rd on the list.
“You know everybody’s gonna throw a little farther in an Olympic year,” said Best. “So, she’s gonna throw her farthest and see what happens. And I think that’s just a super attitude to have.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Winthrop’s Marthaline Cooper calm about NCAA indoor throwing national championship."