THROWING MACHINE: Tucker racking up awards in track

Published 9:15 am Saturday, July 20, 2024

Baldwin County youth recreation track coach Barry Havior was refereeing a rec basketball game two seasons ago when a young man caught his attention.

“I’m always recruiting,” Havior said.

With more than 33 years experience of coaching track, he knows what he’s looking for.

Havior had his trained eye on Aden Tucker, who looked like an excellent candidate to join the track team as a thrower. The veteran track coach approached Tucker’s parents with the proposition to give the sport a try. Everything happened pretty quickly from there. Tucker attended his first practice where Havior, Coach Barry to the kids and parents, drew a line on the ground to show the kids where not to cross when throwing. The rec department facilities don’t have a shot put or discus cage, so the makeshift setup had to do.

Tucker took his first turn throwing and…

“The next thing I know, his parents called me one day and said they had bought a shot put and discus,” Havior said. “They took off with it, and he started excelling. I’ve never had anybody in the field events that’s just grabbed this thing and taken off with it like he has.”

Over spring and summer alone, Tucker’s hardware haul has included 13 first-place medals, six second place, one third place, three fourth place, and two trophies while throwing shot put, discus and mini javelin in Georgia Recreation and Park Association and AAU meets. Last year, Tucker’s first as a thrower, was a similar story as far as medals and trophies earned.

“It’s been very unexpected because it wasn’t something we planned on or thought about at first,” said Laurel Tucker, Aden’s mom. “After the first meet Aden just really fell in love with it. He’s taken such an interest to it that he’s willing to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and travel to these competitions.”

“He’s really enjoyed it and I’m really proud of him,” added Kenny Tucker, Aden’s father. “He loves it.”

The 12-year-old is a rising sixth-grader at John Milledge Academy. His personal bests in the shot put and discus are 28 feet and 67 feet, respectively. Although he’ll be at the lower end of his age group next year, the hope is that he can attend a qualifier for the AAU Junior Olympics and compete on a larger scale.

There’s a lot of work to be done between now and then. Havior said he would like to see the county put in a shot put/discus cage as well as a high jump pit so Tucker and the other young athletes have better facilities at which to prepare.

The county track at the complex off Highway 212 was resurfaced last year, but Havior’s requests for the other equipment went unfilled.

“These kids are so talented and do so well in these competitions,” Laurel Tucker said. “Coach Barry really deserves some good support from the community for what he does.”