Mark Hash: A High School Coach Teaching No Boundaries

Walking down to the shot put and discus pit for the first time as a 10th grader I just knew everyone was going to be bigger and better than me. It was my second year as a shot put and discus thrower and at 5'4" tall, most competitors were bigger but not many were better. I grabbed my discus and settled into the ring for a few warm-up throws and that is when I met Coach Mark Hash for the first time - face to face.

Coach Mark Hash was known throughout the school as a football coach, but he also taught throwers on the track team. I was a relative newbie with most other throwers having been in the sport for several years before attending high school. Luckily, for me, I had a natural talent that couldn't be taught, but one that could be perfected by a coach like Mark Hash. Throughout my high school throwing career, I progressed to place 3rd in the state of West Virginia in discus and even won a scholarship to Glenville State College for shot put and discus, but it was the unspoken lessons taught by Mark Hash that would stick with me for a lifetime.

In the ring, I was a thrower; not a woman thrower or a short thrower, just a talented thrower. Unlike many other coaches, Mark Hash did not see gender; he saw a sport that required strength, dedication, determination and skill. There were many track meets that I threw farther than many of the boys, but farther was not enough; it needed to be the farthest throw across all genders. Every after school practice and even practices on weekends were filled with imaginary markers set at the winning throw in the men's division. I never managed to throw beyond that point at an official high school meet, but I did managed to score some 135' to 145' discus throws in practice that would have given most boys a run for their money.

I ended up attending Mark Hash's alma mater, Glenville State College. I finished 4th in shot put and discus for the conference championships and left the following year due to injury. To this day when I attempt any task be it a sport or business decision, I think of the lessons I learned from Coach Mark Hash. I will not be defined by any boundaries in life.