Another Dandy Randy : Freshman’s 71-9 1/2 Toss Beats Mark of Other A&M; Shotputter With That Name

Twenty-one years ago, Randy Matson of Texas A&M; became the first shotputter to break the 70-foot barrier.

He improved his world record to 71 feet 5 1/2 inches in 1967, won an Olympic gold medal in 1968, and earned a place in track and field history.

Now, something is stirring again on the shotput scene in College Station, Tex. Another Aggie is reaching for the sky.

Randy Barnes, only 19 and a Texas A&M; freshman, broke Matson’s long-standing school record with a throw of 71-9 1/2 last Saturday at the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Tex. Moreover, Barnes’ effort was only 1 1/2 inches short of the collegiate record set by UCLA’s John Brenner as a senior in 1984.

Matson just marvels at the youngster’s accomplishment.

“It’s mind boggling,” he said. “I thought he would be a good college shotputter, but I didn’t have any idea he would be anywhere near where he is now. It’s really amazing how well he has done.”

Matson is the executive director of the Assn. of Former Students at Texas A&M.; He has that cumbersome title because the word alumni reportedly doesn’t convey the close-knit feeling that Aggies have for their school.

Matson is hesitant to predict a limit for Barnes, who gave no indication as a high school senior in Charleston, W.Va., that he would soon become a factor on the world scene.

His best high school throw, with a 12-pound shot, was 66-9 1/2, and it is generally estimated that there’s a 10-foot drop-off going from the 12- to the 16-pound shot.

For instance, Michael Carter, the former SMU seven-time, indoor-outdoor champion, put the 12-pound shot 81-3 1/2, a high school record that still stands. His best collegiate mark was 71-4 3/4, which is commendable but still 10 feet away from his prep accomplishment.

“We put a goal of 67 feet for Randy this year and I must admit we were stretching it,” said Robert Parker, A & M’s weight coach. “Yes, he has surprised all of us.”

Also surprising is that Barnes has been working on the spinning technique of throwing, compared to the conventional glide style, for only a year. Although spinners can be inconsistent, Barnes, who stands 6 feet 5 inches and weighs 285 pounds, has shown steady improvement in the last two months.

He was fourth in the NCAA indoor meet last March with a throw of 65-0 3/4. In his opening outdoor meet, he threw only 61-9. Then, in his next three meets, he threw 67-7, 69-2 and 71-9 1/2.

Barnes will compete in the Puma-Mt. San Antonio Relays Sunday at Walnut and UCLA Coach Bob Larsen predicts that the youngster is going to retire some people.

The field will include Brian Oldfield, who perfected the spin technique; Greg Tafralis, who had his first 70-foot throw at 70-4 1/2 last Saturday, and, possibly, Brenner.

“John hadn’t originally planned on competing at Mt. SAC but his plans may have changed,” said Art Venegas, UCLA’s weight coach.

Curiosity, if anything, should bring Brenner out just to take a look at this apparent prodigy.

Matson said that Barnes is dedicated and hard working, but added that there are many hard workers who don’t achieve the results that Barnes has. So what sets him apart from others his age?

“I’ve watched him throw and he moves very well for his size and he’s very strong,” Matson said. “He also moves his feet very well. He does about as good a job with the spin as anyone I’ve watched, except for Oldfield.

“Oldfield had the ability to spin and still lift into the shot. I always thought the weakness in the spin was that you couldn’t get your legs into it well enough as opposed to the conventional style. That’s why I never expected the spin to be widely used and that successful. I thought Oldfield was an exception. But I’ve been proved wrong.

“(The spin) doesn’t take near the pressure on your arms and wrist that the conventional style does because they’re moving so fast when they release the shot. I think (spinners) can throw longer and have a longer career.

“Watching Barnes, it doesn’t seem that he gets everything into it. So I think he’s got some room to improve.”

At his present rate of improvement, it’s conceivable that Barnes will soon be threatening the world record of 74-2 1/2 set by East Germany’s Ulf Timmermann last September. In the meet at Waco, Barnes barely fouled on a throw a few inches past 73 feet.

Oldfield, now 40, has history’s longest throw, 75 feet in 1975 at El Paso, Tex. The mark was never officially accepted, however, because Oldfield was competing on the pro circuit at the time. There’s a delicious irony in that, considering that “amateur” track athletes make substantially more money now than Oldfield ever did.

“Oldfield is a tremendous athlete so I expected him to do things other people couldn’t do,” Matson said. “There’s no doubt about the 75-foot throw. I was there. I just picked up the shot to make sure he was throwing a regulation shot.”

Barnes is also rapidly improving in the discus. He had a throw of 199-9 at Waco, 14 feet farther than he had ever thrown.

“My advice to Randy is not to expect to throw 70 feet every time out,” Matson said. “It’s not a steady climb. If the spin is off a little bit, it’s off six feet.

“Then, again, he has already thrown farther this year than a rational person could expect.”

ALL-TIME SHOTPUT LIST

NAME COUNTRY MARK YEAR *Brian Oldfield United States 75-0 1975 Ulf Timmermann East Germany 74-2 1/2 1985 Udo Beyer East Germany 72-10 3/4 1983 **Brian Oldfield United States 72-9 3/4 1984 Sergei Kasnauskas Soviet Union 72-5 3/4 1984 Sergie Smirnov Soviet Union 72-4 1985 George Woods United States 72-3 1974 Dave Laut United States 72-3 1982 Aleksander Barishnikov Soviet Union 72-2 1976 Alessandro Andrei Italy 72-0 1985 John Brenner United States 71-11 1984 Randy Barnes United States 71-9 1/2 1986

*Not accepted because he was competing as a professional.

**American record.