Dave Barron New York State of Mind

When does an athlete become elite? Is it when he throws world class throws at his home meet? Is it when he beats a world class thrower ? Or is it when time in and time out he hangs with the best throwers in the world,throws far distances in all kinds of conditions in all kinds of competitions and throws lifetime best throws in the World Championships. I would say the latter,which brings me to the subject of this interview...the one the only Dave Barron.

Dave is a strange person,,,make no mistake about it. The first time I met him he had painted toe nails. He takes more good natured ribbing then any other thrower on the pro-heavy events circuit and I truly think he enjoys every minute of it. It's easy to get a kick out of your buddies making fun of you when you go out and pound them into the dirt every Saturday with an uncanny ability to throw far on a weekly basis.

Unlike track and field the heavy events are an every weekend thing. There is no use trying to peak for a certain meet ,because there is money on the line week after week. No rest for the wicked. Dave Barron was made for this sport. He seems to be able to turn it up on a weekly basis and let loose monster throws at a moments notice. At the world championships this summer in Pleasanton ,CA he nearly did the unthinkable when he he came within a couple of points of beating 5 time world champion Ryan Vierra. Dave placed second with one of the most outstanding performances of the season.

So it is my pleasure to introduce Dave Barron.

LSTJ: What year and how old were you when you started in the games?

DB: I competed in my first games in Ligonier PA in 1989, when I was 17.


LSTJ: How did you get involved with them?

DB: I've always loved throwing. I first found a shot put at summer camp
when I was 14, and right way it struck a chord in me - something about
the history and obscurity (for me) of the event. I became a pretty
decent shot putter in high school (52 feet or so) and when I heard
about the Highland Games I figured they would be pretty easy. Well,
the first person I saw when I got to the field was 6'6" 360# Paul
Ferency and I just about crapped in my kilt. I didn't actually have to
throw against him, but I got my butt handed to me all day long. Since
then I've been hooked.


LSTJ: what is your current height and body weight?
DB: I'm 6'3". This year I got up to about 282 lbs. The extra weight
definitely helped me in some of the events - what's the old saying
about mass moving mass? But I feel better and move better at around
265-270. So I'm going to try to lean down a bit over the winter
without giving up too much strength.

LSTJ: How were you in the track and field events and what were your best events?

DB: I threw shot, discus and javelin in high school and college, but the
shot was my best event. I pretty much gave it up when I got to college
though in favor of the hammer. I'd always wanted to throw hammer after
seeing "Wee Geordie" when I was a kid.


LSTJ: What college did you attend and did you compete in track and field in school?
DB: I went to Connecticut College, a small DIII school that didn't even
have it's own track or throws coach. I trained across the road at the
Coast Guard Academy. I learned from watching other throwers and
figuring out the footwork for myself. I never got over 190 in the
hammer, but managed to throw the 35# weight 61' and take second at
NCAA nationals. At the time I didn't know what a power clean was or
how to do squats - I would just do bench press (had to work the pecs
to impress the girls) and throw, throw throw. Boy, if I had it to do
over again...

LSTJ: Who were some of your role models when you were coming up through the ranks/

DB: Mostly the guys I competed with. I was clueless for years about the earlier athletes who paved the way, guys like Jim McGoldrick and Ed McComas who are my role models now.
Once I got serious about throwing I met a lot of incredible athletes who helped me out. Don Stewart and Art McDermott let me come train with them for about a year when I lived in Boston, and I learned more in that year than I have since. I've thrown against WSM competitor Steve Pulcinella, Olympian Petur Gudmundsson, Francis Brebner, Matt Sandford - some of the true greats in our sport. But I think the biggest influence on me has been Ryan Vierra. The guy's been the best for years, and knows more about throwing and training and the history of Highland Games than anyone else, and he'll help anyone who asks. He's seen and done it all, and he still has more passion for the Games than anyone I know. He's a great competitor and a great friend.

LSTJ: Whats it like having a brother on the circuit?  How competitive are you guys and what is your best Will story?

DB: What about his first pro games in Richmond where he broke all the weights? No kidding, after the 28# weight and the hammer broke on his first toss, he broke the 56# weight for height too. He went to pull on it and the chain broke - he must have flown five feet up in the air backwards and landed flat on his back. A legend was born that day.
Seriously, it's great having him to throw with. He's all the way up in Syracuse, so we can't practice together very often like we used to, but we'll trade training tips and workouts and help motivate each other in the off season, and then talk about how far we're going to throw at the next Games and make bets about who's going to win - he still owes me a few beers. He's actually always been a much better natural thrower than me - he could always throw a football farther than me, even though I'm six years Older. And technically, I'm still trying be half the athlete he is.

LSTJ: You had one of the best am to pro classes ever  with you, Harrison,Mike Smith and Roy Bogue turning pro all around the same time.   You guys seem to have a really special bond,,any comments on those guys ?

DB: They're all gay.
Yeah, the class of 1999 was something special. One of the greatest things about Highland Games is hanging out with your buds, and those guys have become some of my best friends. Competing alongside guys who knew you way back when is a lot of fun, and we have plenty of stories I won't reveal here. Roy and Mike are pretty much retired with injuries, which definitely sucks. But Harrison just became the first man in years to beat Ryan (Vierra) for the American Championships, which was awesome to see. Huge props to the man.

LSTJ: How do you feel your season went in 2006 highs and lows? and what does the off-season have in store for you?

DB: Overall I was pretty happy with the season. I set PRs in the 56# for distance and the weight for height, thanks to being bigger and stronger this year. I wasn't so thrilled with my other events,  I just didn't have enough reps under my belt to get my technique down. But my biggest goal, like always, was to do well at the Worlds. And I managed to grab second place in a tremendous field of athletes, so I can't complain!

LSTJ: What are your goals for 2007?

DB: Again, I'm shooting for the World Championships. It's being held in Inverness, and I've always loved competing in Scotland. The Worlds are always a highlight for me, because I get to travel, see friends from around the world and be a part of history. I've competed in the Worlds five times now, and finished second twice. So who knows what's going to happen next year.

LSTJ: You actually got to compete in some the strong man events this year over in Europe,,,what did you have to do and how did you stack up against guys like Misha and Kirilo ?

DB: Ouch, don't remind me. Those guys are beasts. Douglas Edmunds had the brainchild of inviting some of the strongman competitors with throwing backgrounds to compete in Scotland. Mikhail Koklaev, Kirilo Chuprynin and Sebastian Wenta from Poland were all there, and somehow I got invited too. It was a combination Highland Games-strongman comp, with atlas stones and max log clean and press. I took fourth in the log press with 325 lbs. and bowed out of the stones after tweaking my back. But I had a great time hanging out with those guys and would do it again in a second.

LSTJ: What is your favorite event to throw and why?
DB: Whichever one I'm doing well in! Honestly, it depends on the day - sometimes my technique is in the groove and the implement throws itself. Other days the technique just goes into the crapper, and all you can do is grip and rip. The great thing about the Games is how balanced the events are - the stone, weights and hammer are all about technique and timing, while the sheaf, 56# for height and caber are pure power and strength. Not to get on my soapbox, but that's a big part of why I'm against modifying the events with the spin. With the "pure" events, you can't win with just strength or just technique, you need the balance of both. Spinning changes that.

LSTJ: a follow up question....So should they ban the spin in the weight for height, and if so why?

DB: Yes. Cause they're cheating!

LSTJ: What are your prs in the heavy events?

DB:

17# Stone: 52'4"
56 lb. weight: 46'3.5"
28 lb. weight: 84'6"
16 lb hammer: 135'
22 lb hammer: 116'
56 lb weight for height: 17' (stand only)

DB: I would have a tough time giving you exact maxes. I gear my lifting to
being explosive in the throws, and not towards total poundage. For
instance, I'll do sets of three as quickly as possible instead of a 1
rep max in the squat, because otherwise I'm moving too slowly to carry
over into anything useful. That being said, I figure I would be good
for 500-550 in the back squat (high bar, olympic style). I've also
power cleaned 315, done a 225 hang snatch, front squatted 405 and done
325 in the bench press back in high school. I'm considering getting
back into bench work to try and help my stone for next year, as well
as more push presses.

LSTJ: What do you love about the highland games,,,,and throwing in general?

DB: The travel. The friendships. The festival atmosphere. Wearing a skirt. What's not to love? But the best part is simply getting the chance to throw stuff. I just love to throw, no matter the event. Throwing is just  the greatest athletic activity there is. When the balance and the power and the technique coming together and you hit a good one there's just no better feeling. I used to sit in class back in college and just visualize hitting the perfect hammer throw - I still do, but now I have seven different events to chose from.

"i have known dave for quite a few years now and he is a little out there"

What gave it away? Was it the running across a field in a skirt trying to flip a tele pole?

We are all out there... we gotta be.