PENDLETON — A man’s work is only as good as his tools.

For Pendleton javelin thrower Sam Jennings, an upgrade is needed for him to continue to improve his craft.

A junior, Jennings has thrown a school record 198 feet, 11 inches this spring, and is ranked first in Oregon and eighth in the nation.

If he is going to throw 200 feet and beyond, he and Pendleton throwing coach Nicole Bowden know he needs better equipment.

Pendleton High School has a collection of javelins, some of which may or may not have been used in the first Happy Canyon Pageant, but they do not perform for a thrower of Jennings’ ability.

“We have a lot of really old javelins that are 10 or 15 years old,” Bowden said. “We get them refurbished every 5 years or so, but with him being so advanced, he needs one with less flex. He can really launch the school javelins, but it’s about the core center balance, and a little less flex. His release right now has a bounce and is almost like a smile.”

Making his mark

Jennings, who finished fourth at state as a freshman with a throw of 181-7, bought a standard high school javelin at the start of his sophomore year, but didn’t get to use it much before COVID wiped out his season.

At a home meet on April 30, Jennings launched a throw of 198-11 to break Geoff Herd’s school record of 186-10 set in 2009.

“One of the biggest shocks, is I thought it was a terrible throw,” Jennings said. “My goal this year was 190. If I throw 200, I’ll be the only junior in the nation to throw that far.”

With 200 feet and beyond on his radar, Jennings knew exactly which javelin he wanted to get after seeking advice from 2019 state champion Ty Hampton, who now throws at University of Oregon.

Earlier this week, Jennings ordered a Nordic Valhalla 800 Medium NXS javelin from a company in Sweden. It’s designed for throwers who are less technical, but more powerful. It’s a little forgiving, allowing throwers to make minor technical errors without affecting their throw.

The NXS — Next Generation Sharp — tip is made for maximum lift in all wind conditions.

“I’m still not extremely technical with my throwing,” Jennings said. “This one has a medium to hard core and it won’t destroy me.”

His new javelin set him back $1,200, with shipping.

“The original plan was I was going to buy it myself before summer,” Jennings said. “My mom said we should start a GoFundMe, and the next thing I know my brother (Perry) set it up, and my sister-in-law wrote a nice thing to go with it. That saves me a lot of lawns to mow.”

Before the GoFundMe could get any traction, a kind benefactor stepped up and gave Jennings the funds he needed to place the order now.

“My mom pulled out a bunch of money one day and said Grandpa (Howard Rowell) wanted to pitch in,” Jennings said. “That’s Grandpa, he likes to help out, and have things to brag to his friends about.”

Rowell is getting a lot of mileage out of his grandson this spring.

The GoFundMe account, https://gofund.me/7b7d8fec, which has raised $380 in two days, still is viable. He plans to use the funds to help with travel costs to Junior Nationals.

“Everyone in this town knows Sam,” Bowden said. “He has a lot of support behind him.”

Hard work pays off

Jennings first threw a javelin in middle school. In that age group, they throw a turbo javelin, which is half the length of a regulation javelin.

When he got to high school, Jennings picked up a regulation javelin and found that he had a talent for making it fly.

“It is the weirdest event,” he said. “I don’t know why I started throwing it.”

Bowden said Jennings is a natural.

“He is the most advanced javelin thrower we have had in a really long time,” Bowden said. “It’s a blast to work with him. It’s rare to find athletes in high school who have that drive to do things outside of school. He throws in the summer and went to the Junior Olympics and placed fourth.”

When COVID shut everything down, Bowden wasn’t able to work with Jennings, nor was Jennings able to throw on school grounds. He threw at the park near his home, but it wasn’t the same without the runway.

“With COVID, he ended up taking almost a year off,” Bowden said. “When he jumped back into it, I was afraid he would go from his 180 at to state to a lower number. He never did.”

Adding in sprints and working with the Bucks’ relay teams has helped Jennings with his throwing. It keeps him from throwing all day, and it has improved his speed on the runway.

“That has helped him so much with his approach,” Bowden said. “I told him he couldn’t be a one-event athlete. His friends were doing the relay and he wanted to do it too. He is fast and has beautiful technique. He put the speed he learned on the track into his throwing and that has benefited him so much. He is going to do whatever he can to get to 200 feet. He is his own motivation.”

Jennings’ throw of 198-11 ranks first in Oregon and eighth in the nation. He and Jack Olsen (199-3) of Olympia, Washington, are the only throwers west of the Mississippi River on the nation’s top 10 list.

The top mark in the nation this year is 211-0¼.

“It’s hard not to look at it,” Jennings said of the rankings. “Being No. 1 in the state is pretty cool. Being ranked in the nation is the biggest thing I have achieved so far.”