University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Simon Haake From Walk-On to a Regional
05.19.2010 | Track and Field
UNC Asheville junior Simon Haake will compete in next weekend's East Regional in Greensboro. He will represent the Bulldogs in the javelin.
Not bad for someone who joined the UNC Asheville Track and Field team two years ago as a walk-on.
And Simon was a walk-on who simply responded to an ad on a bulletin board that said the Track and Field team was holding tryouts for walk-ons. He didn't compete in any sports at East Chapel High School.
"I saw where the track team was having open tryouts, and I thought it might be fun to see if I could do something," said Haake recently.
It took a little while to see what event Simon could compete in for the Bulldogs.
"They tried me in some of the relay and sprint events, and I just wasn't fast enough," explained Haake. "I told Coach Williams (Joel Williams Assistant Coach) that I had played a little baseball in my career, and the coaching staff decided to put me in the javelin."
Simon quickly found an event he liked. He threw himself into the event and worked very hard.
"It was evident from the start that Simon was not your average walk-on," explained Williams. "He is someone who works extremely hard and is incredibly disciplined to being the best he can be. Simon is disciplined both on and off the track. He works hard at his technique and is always searching for ways to get better.
"Off the track, he takes care of himself in every way possible," added Williams. "He eats the right food and gets enough rest. Simon is as disciplined and dedicated as I've ever seen in my years of coaching."
As a freshman in a new event in a new sport, Simon spent the year learning. He learned a lot from then senior Erik Nabi, a former baseball player turned javelin performer who finished fifth at the 2008 Big South Conference Meet.
"I learned a lot from Erik," stated Haake. "He showed me so much that helped my development."
Haake was a quick learner and just missed earning points for the Bulldogs in his first conference meet with a 10th-place finish. As a sophomore, Simon kept improving and in 2009, he earned points for the Bulldogs at the Big South meet with a seventh-place finish.
This year has been a great year for the Chapel Hill native. He set a school record in his first meet of the year when he threw 60.98 meters at the Coastal Carolina Invitational and earned a fourth place finish in the meet.
A week later another school record at 61.22 meters, and a first-place finish at the Charlotte 49er Classic. However, Haake was hardly satisfied.
"When I throw 60 meters, I'm disappointed I didn't throw 65 meters," commented Haake. "When I throw 65 meters, I'm going to want to throw 70 meters.
"I'm never going to be satisfied," added Haake. "I'm always going to want to throw farther and push myself to get better."
And that's a big key to his success.
"As a coach, you always want to push your student-athletes to be better but Simon is always pushing himself that I don't have to push," said Williams. "If anything, I have to sometimes slow Simon down a little bit with his expectations. He's just been throwing the javelin for a couple of years, compared to competitors who have been doing it for a lot longer. However, that's what makes Simon so special the way he is always striving to be better and not to be satisfied."
At the Big South Conference meet, Simon set a school record for the fourth time with a throw 64.57 meters which was good for fourth place. He just missed being all-conference in the javelin with a top three finish.
Fourth place was an impressive showing for Haake. How good are the Big South Javelin Throwers? If Simon had competed for an ACC school at the ACC meet, he would have finished third; that's how good the Big South Javelin Throwers are.
"Though I'm never going to be satisfied, I was somewhat pleased to finish in fourth in a conference meet that has so many good javelin throwers," admitted Haake. "Next year I'm going to do everything I can to win the event."
And Simon doesn't plan to stop at winning a Big South Conference championship.
"My goal is to be in the Olympics in the javelin," declared Haake. "I want to keep getting better, throwing farther and in London representing our country in 2012."
"I wouldn't put it past Simon," commented Williams. "His dedication is just tremendous and with his work ethic you never know.
"I'm just glad I've got another year to work with Simon," added Williams. "He's made me a better coach because I've learned from him. We're very lucky to have Simon as a Bulldog. He's a great representative of UNC Asheville."
