Hi all,

 

I’m Coach Pete Szelwach, and like many others in this sport, I discovered throwing completely by accident.

 

I first began playing organized sports at age 12 when I joined my local youth football team. Up to that point, I had dealt with school bullies for years and wanted a way to blow off some steam. As it turned out, I had natural athletic ability and I was able to make the all-star team in my first season. I immediately fell in love with the sport and, like many ambitious young athletes, had big aspirations to play college football and beyond. At the time, I was ahead of the growth curve, standing at 5’10 and expecting to continue past 6 feet.

 

Fast forward to high school. I’d grown bigger and stronger but no taller. I still excelled at football, however, and was able to move up to the varsity team going into sophomore year. Leading up to my sophomore year, my coaches encouraged me to begin running track to work on speed. Since our track team lacked throwers, I decided to take up shot put and discus on the side. Did I have freaky natural talent? Nope. I threw decently but had no coaching and was very undersized. Though I wasn't a standout, I became very intrigued with the sport and the immense amount of skill required to succeed in it.

 

Sophomore year came and I was stoked for a big year in football. Instead, two concussions ended my season prematurely. The effects of the injuries had me feeling down and questioning if playing the next season was worth the risk. Morale was low and I wasn’t sure what was next for me. In the spring, I was able to rediscover motivation when I began throwing again. Still without a coach and still undersized, I saw some improvement in my second year but found myself wanting MORE.

 

That’s when I made the decision to fully focus my attention on throwing. Determined to become a winner again, I worked my butt off in the off-season. I studied the sport and refined my technique tirelessly. My hard work paid off. I was able to become a conference champion, state finalist, and national qualifier in my final two years. All the while, I never surpassed 5’10 or 200 pounds.

 

Upon graduation, I was honored with an opportunity to compete at UNC Charlotte. Life can be unpredictable though, so personal reasons forced me to step away from competing after my first year in college. Since I still loved the sport, I immediately got into coaching and haven’t looked back. In my first year of coaching, I was able to coach a first-year female thrower to a state championship victory and 134’6 PR. In my second year, I joined the Mallard Creek High School coaching staff and assisted a veteran thrower in achieving a huge 17-foot PR and a North Carolina #3 all-time mark of 192 feet in the discus!

 

Everything came to a halt with the cancellation of the 2020 season. I was given a lot of time to think about what to do next, and with that, Throws Revolution was soon born. Determined to make quality throws coaching accessible to athletes all across North Carolina, we built our club from the ground up in the Fall of 2020. When all was said and done, we finished our first season as a club with 5 state champions and numerous medalists across 5 separate divisions!

 

My early success as a coach only enhanced my knowledge and love of the sport. Now I’m aiming to help athletes everywhere see what throwing is all about. I’ve observed talented athletes fail to make it to the next level in mainstream sports like football, basketball, and baseball all too often, whether it's because of injuries or the lack of physical measurables. I’ve also seen firsthand that hard work and grit can lead to a successful throwing career and even college opportunities, whether you’re a freaky athlete or not. With Throws Revolution, instilling that idea in young, ambitious athletes is my main goal …

 

… Oh, and you’ll likely be throwing some bombs along the way too! I’m excited for what lies ahead and how we together can REVOLUTIONIZE the sport!