Sean Mackelvie throws the javelin. Does he ever throw the javelin!
   
The junior from Wilsonville is currently ranked second in the Big Sky Conference (BSC), 19th among the NCAA's West region javelin throwers and 40th nationally a couple weeks before the Big Sky Outdoor Championship May 11-14.
    
Oddly enough, he started his university career in a completely different sport and finds himself a track and field athlete by default.
    
A natural athlete, his high school career involved two letters in basketball, one in baseball, four in football and three in track, where he was 2008 OSAA 5A champion in the javelin, defeating the second place finisher by more than 12 feet.
     
He was interested in Oregon State University's mechanical engineering program and thought being second team all-state as a kicker and punter his senior year for Wilsonville High School's football team would give him a shot at playing football for the Beavers.  Besides, he liked the OSU campus.
     
But, there still was some indecision regarding track or football, because he liked both sports.  As it turned out, the decision was pretty much made for him.
    
“I still remember my high school coach calling me into his office and telling me he'd just gotten off the phone with the OSU special teams coach and that it was set for me to walk on as a punter for the Oregon State program,” recalled the 21-year old.
    
Then, reality hit.
     
First off, he discovered that Corvallis is still a small farming community and “there's not much to do on the weekends”.  Secondly, a coaching change brought him face to face with a draw back to being in a very large sports program.
     
After the coach who recruited him left, “I walked into the recruiting office and the guy said… 'Well, I don't even know who you are.'  There I was working my butt off and I obviously wasn't going to play, so I thought I'd better look around." And that meant other schools, if he wanted to try his other standout sport, "because OSU doesn't have a men's track and field program,” Mackelvie said.
      
So, he contacted Portland State Assistant Track and Field Coach Seth Henson, who “must have figured—once a 60 meter (200 feet) javelin thrower, always a 60 meter javelin thrower since that's what I'd thrown in high school,” laughed Mackelvie.
      
In fact, Henson knew of Mackelvie from his record at Wilsonville. He knew he was an “extraordinary athlete. I knew about his talent early. He's an explosive athlete and he ran hurdles and did triple jump in high school.”
       
Henson talked with Mackelvie a couple of times, his dad (Kim Mackelvie) a couple of times and it was a done deal (hardest thing about leaving OSU was “leaving the girlfriend behind”—they remain friends).
       
“I wanted to make something of myself. I didn't want to end up telling my kids some day about what I could have been, so I contacted PSU,” he said.
       
Although, Mackelvie told Henson that he'd stayed in shape through more than a year of only pick-up game athletics at OSU, Henson said he had work to do when he began his career as a Viking.
      
“He spent two years out of training, so I've had him training with the decathlon athletes (if he were faster, Mackelvie said he'd try the decathlon) to get him back in shape. I thought we'd just see where he blossomed,” said Henson. The last three steps throwing the javelin are similar to last steps in long jump and hurdles.
      
And, he's blossomed in at least one somewhat unexpected way, though there were hints from his high school days.
     
“He had one week where he didn't have much to do, so he entered a triple jump competition (he'd hit 42 feet in high school),” said Henson. He won and now is ranked 10th in the conference with a mark of 44-8.
      
While he “misses football like crazy,” he hasn't revisited his decision to switch sports. There are advantages to both, but he said it's more fun throwing.
       
“It's all on me, I get out of it what I put in. I make myself better and don't have to worry about others doing their part,” Mckelvie said.  “Don't get me wrong, I love team sports. Sometimes in track, the coach is working with someone else and you have to sort of coach yourself.  In football, there are always others around.”
       
Hardest thing about throwing, he said, “Is to be relaxed. You think the harder you try and harder the throw, the further it goes - It's just the opposite - The harder you try, the shorter it goes.” Strength comes from the legs, it's the torque in the hips. “My best throws and my PR (personal record) throws have felt effortless.”
      
Throwing is as much about technique as it is size and strength, and a six foot, one inch 190 pound Mackelvie likes being able to “Go out there and take my shirt off. I'm not the biggest guy, but I can be really confident. I don't have to worry about it.”
       
In fact, he said, “Most world class throwers are my size.  You see people who are big and strong, they look like football linemen. But most world class throwers are my size… Fast and explosive, not big. You can be huge and strong and not throw far, or small and quick and throw far.”
      
And, he does throw far. MacKelvie's personal goal this year was to hit 220 feet. He recently hit 221-4 feet (67.47 meters) and that left him wondering just what his ceiling might be. Theoretically, you work up to the conference meet (early in May).  He reached his  goal a month earlier and now said he's excited to see what that means in terms of the Big Sky meet (Henson said he doesn't think Mackelvie has approached his limit yet—and he's got two more years to improve).”
     
He's already qualified for the NCAA West Regional Championship, but has a University of Montana thrower nipping at his heels at 220 feet (the Big Sky is especially strong in the javelin… As are a lot of Western conferences, because many high schools in the East have dropped the event, along with the pole vault, over expense or insurance concerns).
     
While Mackelvie is already an academic junior, his non-athletic time at OSU allowed him to notch a solid academic record (a three point in mechanical engineering) and gave him some slack so devote enough time to trying to become a world class thrower while finishing his degree as his athletic eligibility runs out in two years.
       
His devotion to the rigorous academic schedule required for an engineering degree speaks to the thing he said might surprise people about him.
    
“I think people see me and they see a jock externally; but, I'm really a nerd on the inside.  People get the wrong idea of me.”
    
His career goals include working on the structural design of shoes with Nike or, maybe with a car company helping with design.
     
“I really love cars (he drives his parent's hand-me-down Tahoe),” and especially likes sports cars because “I love toys… ATV's, dirt bikes, jet skis… I love toys,” he said.
      
He comes from an athletically minded family. His dad excels in individual sports like skiing and his mother was a member of her high school cheer squad. His brother Michael is playing basketball at an Arizona junior college. “We're probably even. He couldn't throw to save his life, but he's a better basketball player than I'll ever be.”
     
As to his future as a thrower, Olympic throwers start at 260 feet.
     
“He's certainly gotten stronger in the weight room. I joke with the other coaches that I have no idea how far he can throw. He's a great addition to our team and we're still trying to see how far he can throw,” said Henson. Who knows?