Seahawks track and field athlete Kayden Ames is the first junior in recent memory to win states and go to the New England Championship. Ames placed 21st in discus with a 137'11" throw at the June 11, New Britain, Connecticut competition.

Proud of his accomplishment at states, a 143’11” throw and personal best, Ames likes to play down his involvement at New Englands because it was less about competition and more about watching seniors from all over the region. Many of the senior athletes competing at New Englands have committed to NCAA Division I schools, he said.

“I didn't throw very well, but I wasn't going into it to try and compete much. I wanted to go more just for the experience, watching the other athletes, seeing how they threw. If I'm plateauing in a certain way and then I watch another thrower throw so much further doing it a different way, maybe I can try that. There was a guy committed to Baylor throwing 187 feet. So, it was fun and good to just watch them and see what they're doing.”

Ames’ mother Angel was also a track and field star in throwing events with outstanding records from her Seahawks days. Now she serves as a coach and a resource to the Seahawks throwing athletes and she encouraged Kayden to take part in the New Englands to learn as much as to compete.

Even though he followed in his parents’ footsteps in some ways, both Seahawk legends in their own rights, Kayden’s start in sports was in no way initiated by them. Angel said she and husband Kevin wanted their children to find their own interests and passions, though she did not exactly hide her sport either. “Of course I had a shot just hanging around … One day a friend of his brother's came over and was like 'What's that' and grabbed the shot put, gave it a chuck and Kayden was kind of looking up to him like, 'I want to do that.'”

That was when Kayden started developing an interest in throwing. Angel said he is built for throwing, much as his siblings Kyle and Kaleb were built for running and jumping, which they excelled at. Kayden began competing in fifth grade and worked his way up to the 2019 14-and-under national competition in Sacramento, California. He placed eighth in discus with 135’4” and 19th in shot put with 38’11.5”. Three years later, he sits behind only five other athletes regionally in his graduating class.

“And he has not maxed out yet. Not by a long shot,” Angel said. “Like I tell all the kids, if you've just thrown 100 feet and I can pick apart five things that you did wrong, that's really good news … that means you can add five feet by doing this, another five feet by doing that … Kayden’s really good at doing that for himself.”

Kayden said his farthest throws have been in practice with his best over the 150’ mark during warmups at this season’s Waterville meet. His final throw at that meet was a first place-winning 137’10”. “So, I know I can get there, and the school record's 154 feet or something like that. So, I'm close to beating the school record.”

He will continue to train for and compete in shot put as well, but it is not the passion discus is. He said he would have liked to continue with javelin as well, but the motions and training are different and take a toll on the shoulder discus and shot put do not.

“Discus is more technical than shot, too, and less about how big or strong you are,” said Kayden. “It's how many reps can you get of that (throw) to become the best you can be at it. You put in more work and have results to show for it. Whereas with shot put, you have to be a certain weight and height and strength and … you definitely plateau more quickly depending on (that).”

The winter indoor season and next spring season will likely hold some sprinting events for the athlete. Kayden said Coach Nick Scott plans on moving the fastest non-main-event sprinter to the 4x100m relay team, and it might will be Kayden. Though he does not plan on picking the javelin back up, the prospect of some running is refreshing.

“Junior year is more the year for recruiting because it's springtime and most athletes have committed to colleges by then, so senior year is more about working with your team, seeing how high you can throw, and everything like that. It's more of a fun season.”

Now that the school year is over, he plans on working his summer job and continuing weightlifting and training for his throwing events and for football and basketball. He has also started competing in U.S.A. Track and Field's summer program; he qualified for regionals, which are at Bowdoin College this year. “I don't know how I'll place, but I'm going just for fun.”