One looks like a Mack truck, the other like a Ferrari, each built to perform their selected task with the greatest efficiency. Wesley’s brute force and silent glide help him launch the shot put and discus, and Carlton’s speed and perfect form propel his body far into the sand pit.
So who says the track is more exciting than the field? Your narrater - a distance runner and 4x800 reveler - has enjoyed his time watching Wesley glide effortlessly across the shot put circle and Carlton float silently over the sand pit. Read on to learn more about these extraordinary brothers.
Carlton Lavong photo by Tim Fulton, ArmoryTrack.com.
All other photos by Don Rich, PennTrackXC.com, unless noted.
A Little History
Carlton and Wesley Lavong began their track and field careers when they were nine and ten years old, respectively. And if you can believe it, both brothers were runners at that age. They competed for the Mallary Challengers Track Club, and made an immediate impact with their talent and competitiveness.
Wesley Lavong was encouraged by Coach Dale to try the shot put. That summer Wesley participated in the Junior Olympics and medaled in the shot put. That about sealed the deal as far as Wesley being convinced to begin training seriously for the shot put.
Carlton began as a 100 and 200 runner and started long jumping at 10 years old because it “looked fun”. Darrel Murphy was Carlton’s first coach at Mallory, and encouraged him to jump. Carlton’s natural talent for jumping was also discovered early as he qualified for the AAU summer nationals in Detroit, Michigan. Carlton was hooked, as it was “pretty cool” to go to a place like Detroit as an 11 year old.
Wesley and Carlton eventually found themselves competing for Methacton High School in Norristown, with Carlton staying with his Mount Airy club under Coach Teri Russel-Bizzle and Wesley making the move to the Ambler Olympic Club. Coach Arnie “Dr. Jumps” Shiffrin became Carlton’s specialty coach and Scott Mennon became Wesley’s specialty coach. At Methacton Wesley was being coached by Mr.s Kaplan, but while she is on maternity leave Coach Constable has taken over those duties. In addition to this, Wesley also trains under Barry Swanson, who runs Train Hard, Win Big. Barry has been instrumental in Wesley's training regimen. For the indoor season Wesley credits Mitch Arra for improving his strength and conditioning. As it should be, the brothers have always encouraged each other and celebrated the other's accomplishments as a way to keep each other going.
Making the Jump
The road to long jumping greatness wasn’t an easy one for Carlton. As a freshman at Methacton Carlton jumped 21 feet in the long jump and 41 feet in the triple jump before an ankle injury kept him out most of the season. Carlton came back to place 2nd in the SOL American Conference with a jump of 21-08.75.
Photo by Tim Fulton, ArmoryTrack.com
As a sophomore, tragedy again struck Carlton as he was rounding into form. “I was ranked 1st in the long jump all season long until the accident, then finished a disappointing 5th in the long jump and triple jump at states”. The accident Carlton was referring to was a car accident in which he suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, muscle strains, and blood pooling in the back of his head.
That Carlton even competed in states at all that year was a miracle, let alone finishing 5th in both events. Nevertheless, Carlton’s quest for a state title would have to wait until the 2009 indoor season. Carlton jumped 24-02.75 in December and looked like he was on his way to gold at the PTFCA state championships.
But lest we forget, Carlton is still a kid, and prone to mistakes just like all kids are. Carlton has enjoyed dunking a basketball “ever since I found out I could do it”. That statement should make any coach cringe, especially since it was while dunking that Carlton injured his ankle prior to the state championships. Carlton wound up 2nd in the long jump and 5th in the triple jump, leaving him with the feeling that he “under-performed… the injury took my speed away and left me limping down the runway”.
No More Limping
With the start of the outdoor season it seems as though Carlton has increased his dedication to the sport that has been both fortunate and unforgiving to him over the years, in his quest to win a state title. Carlton broke his school’s 20 year old long jump record with a dual meet jump of 24-07.75 early in the season.
Healthy, focused, and confident. Now just stay away from the basketball court Carlton!
A Whole New Level
I talked to Carlton prior to the Penn Relays and he was excited to compete there. “I want to win (7th last year), I love that place and the crowd. Plus, James Taylor(VA) will be there”.
At Penn, Carlton exuded confidence from the beginning, bringing the crowd into the competition by clapping before his approach to the pit. It paid off as Carlton won on a big stage with a jump of 24-06.50. Taylor finished 2nd with a jump of 24-00.25. The jump was shy of Carlton's school record, but came with more pressure and a Penn Relays watch on the line. The jump marked Carlton’s 4th time over 24 feet this season, putting him at a new level of competition.
Carlton has goals of going over 25 feet in the long jump this year and 50 feet in the triple jump. These marks will practically guarantee state championships, however, when asked about state goals Carlton shares that “I want to win states as a team”. More on this later.
Becoming a Shot Putter
Wesley beat the top club shot putter at Mallary and knew that he would be hooked on the event once he won a medal at the Junior Olympics. Wesley also played basketball and football until he was a sophomore and decided to focus full time on track and field.
As a sophomore Wesley threw 53-00.50 in the shot at the AAU Junior Olympics. As a junior he threw 56-07 before a wrist injury limited his performances the rest of the year. Wesley wound up 5th at states and 7th at the AAU Junior Olympics.
Wesley is a glider and loves that approach to the shot. People always ask him if he’ll switch to the spin. A lot of power comes from the legs, and since Wesley can squat 700 pounds, “why change an approach that works to my advantage”. He adds that Michael Carter used the glide, as well as Concordia coach Mac Wilkins, a 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the discus.
Pushing the Limits
As a senior it appears as though Wesley has left the injuries behind, despite an aggressive program designed to see just how far he can throw the shot put. Welsey began by earning his first state championship with a victory over Rodney Richter and a throw of 62-02 at PTFCA Indoor States.
The success continued outdoors as Wesley threw a 62-03 early in the season. The flight of that shot put was interrupted by a tree, showing that Wesley has more in the tank. Then, at the Taco Bell Classic, Wesley continued to improve, winning the shot with a throw of 62-05.00 and the discus with a throw of 164-02. Since then Wesley has followed up with a runner-up performance at Penn Relays with a throw of 61-11.75. Nick Vena won with a throw of 72-02.50.
Still elusive is the mark of 65 feet, a mark at which his mother said he could take out her PT Cruiser for a drive, a car he says that, “She lets no one drive!” At his current pace a 65+ throw is certainly in the cards.
Fulfilling a Promise
Ever since Wesley won his first shot put medal he was hooked on the sport, and even has a hero to keep him motivated. Michael Carter threw 81-03.25 in the shot put in high school and still holds the national record. He went on to earn three super bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers.
But even further back is another hero that keeps Wesley motivated. His dad.
Wesley is proud of his accomplishments, but even prouder that his dad is happy with what he has done with his high school sports career. Back in 8th grade Wesley told his dad that he would get a full ride to college so that he wouldn’t have to pay for it. Wesley is well on his way toward that goal with his achievements this year. He is weighing options from (in alpha order) University of Arizona, Arkansas State, Concordia, Kansas, Penn State, and Texas.
Wesley says that "my dad doesn't smile alot, he is kind of serious, so I try to make him smile as much as possible". It has to be easy to smile when he watches Wesley throw this year. And he will most certainly be smiling if he doesn't have to open his checkbook to pay out for college tuition next fall.
But there is further business to attend to first. Wesley hopes to win states in the shot put and discus as well as qualify out of the Junior Nationals to compete internationally in Brazil this summer... though he echoed his brothers desire to win the team title. Carlton has summer plans as well, to win the long jump at the World Youth Championships in Italy.
Learning From the Best
Carlton and Wesley are proud of what they have accomplished, but still hold team accomplishments close to the heart and remember where they started. Wesley credits former teammate Ryann Krais for instilling that attitude in the two brothers, saying, “We were inspired by Ryann’s greatness and humbleness in competition”.
Wesley adds that he is “proud of his brother… and tries to watch him whenever he can” after coming back from his car accident to again excel in the jumping events. And you can count on Wesley and Carlton continuing to support each other despite the many miles that will separate them this coming Fall. (Unless, of course, Wesley selects the Nittany Lions).
One looks like a Mack truck, the other like a Ferrari, each built to perform their selected task with the greatest efficiency. Wesley’s brute force and silent glide help him launch the shot put and discus, and Carlton’s speed and perfect form propel his body far into the sand pit.
So who says the track is more exciting than the field? Your narrater - a distance runner and 4x800 reveler - has enjoyed his time watching Wesley glide effortlessly across the shot put circle and Carlton float silently over the sand pit. Read on to learn more about these extraordinary brothers.
Carlton Lavong photo by Tim Fulton, ArmoryTrack.com.
All other photos by Don Rich, PennTrackXC.com, unless noted.
A Little History
Carlton and Wesley Lavong began their track and field careers when they were nine and ten years old, respectively. And if you can believe it, both brothers were runners at that age. They competed for the Mallary Challengers Track Club, and made an immediate impact with their talent and competitiveness.
Wesley Lavong was encouraged by Coach Dale to try the shot put. That summer Wesley participated in the Junior Olympics and medaled in the shot put. That about sealed the deal as far as Wesley being convinced to begin training seriously for the shot put.
Carlton began as a 100 and 200 runner and started long jumping at 10 years old because it “looked fun”. Darrel Murphy was Carlton’s first coach at Mallory, and encouraged him to jump. Carlton’s natural talent for jumping was also discovered early as he qualified for the AAU summer nationals in Detroit, Michigan. Carlton was hooked, as it was “pretty cool” to go to a place like Detroit as an 11 year old.
Wesley and Carlton eventually found themselves competing for Methacton High School in Norristown, with Carlton staying with his Mount Airy club under Coach Teri Russel-Bizzle and Wesley making the move to the Ambler Olympic Club. Coach Arnie “Dr. Jumps” Shiffrin became Carlton’s specialty coach and Scott Mennon became Wesley’s specialty coach. At Methacton Wesley was being coached by Mr.s Kaplan, but while she is on maternity leave Coach Constable has taken over those duties. In addition to this, Wesley also trains under Barry Swanson, who runs Train Hard, Win Big. Barry has been instrumental in Wesley's training regimen. For the indoor season Wesley credits Mitch Arra for improving his strength and conditioning. As it should be, the brothers have always encouraged each other and celebrated the other's accomplishments as a way to keep each other going.
Making the Jump
The road to long jumping greatness wasn’t an easy one for Carlton. As a freshman at Methacton Carlton jumped 21 feet in the long jump and 41 feet in the triple jump before an ankle injury kept him out most of the season. Carlton came back to place 2nd in the SOL American Conference with a jump of 21-08.75.