Black Hills’ Austen Daisa shot puts for second-place finish at Star Track XXXIV

Austen Daisa was preparing for his last throw in the shot put Friday at the Class 2A state track and field championships as his coach Dan Quillen beckoned him to the fence.

“Let it all hang out,” the Black Hills throwing coach said.

The junior baseball player-turned-shotput thrower responded: “I’m going to do it for my dad.”

His father, Jody Daisa, who has been ailing with a serious illness for the past year, proudly looked on as his son finished in second place with a throw of 50 feet, 9 1/4 inches at Mount Tahoma High School.

In what has been a rookie throwing season touched by personal records, Jody Daisa has made a point to attend every one of his son’s meets, sometimes even getting to watch from inside the pit.

“It’s been difficult a few times and I get tired, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” his father said. “I told him that. I’m not going to miss any of it. … It’s just been an awesome experience and it’s been very uplifting for me.”

Such was the case for Austen and older brother, Alex, through their sport endeavors. No matter what they did, their father showed up. It served as a treatment of its own.

“He knows no matter what he’s going through, that is one of the bright points of his life,” Austen said. “So, anything he can do to watch me he does, because that is what makes him happy.”

Austen wasn’t drawn to shot put, rather, he was pulled to it.

Quillen noticed Daisa, also a left tackle on the Wolves football team, at the winter lifting program he facilitates at the high school. The third-year throwing coach liked Daisa’s strength, footwork, quickness and, most importantly, his smarts — he fit the mold for a thrower.

In Daisa’s sophomore year he attended the first few track practices. Baseball, his other school sports, called him back. Daisa said he did not have the patience for throwing at the time, and the Black Hills’ diamond overshadowed the commitment it took to be one of the Class 2A best in shot put.

In order for Daisa to swap baseball for track, it took convincing or, rather, pestering. He’d played baseball his whole life, but regretted playing his sophomore year.

“I knew I wasn’t going to play baseball because I didn’t have that much fun,” Daisa said. “(Quillen) kept dogging on me to do track and he kept telling me everyday. … So I decided to give it a shot.”

The switch for big, strong athletes to throwing is no seamless one, Quillen attests. But Daisa has made it look easy. He went from a throw of 40-8.00 at the South Sound Jamboree on March 17, to a 50-10.00 mark at the 2A District 4 championships last weekend, which he undershot by just three-quarters of an inch on Friday.

Quillen labels Daisa a special talent.

“Austen is one of those special athletes who only come around every now and then,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of throwers. No one’s ever done what I’ve seen him do. Not in their first year.”

As Daisa’s season progressed, so did his marks. He improved from his first meet by four inches at the second meet. Next meet, by 11 inches. Then, almost three total feet over the next two meets. Then from subdistricts to districts, he lengthened his personal best up to 50-10, a three-feet leap. Daisa’s mark Friday was 1-1 1/4 off the winner, Sehome junior Ben Malquist.

As for next year, when asked if he would claim first place, Daisa was interrupted.

“I believe so,” his father said.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Black Hills’ Austen Daisa shot puts for second-place finish at Star Track XXXIV."