The Name Game Sometimes A Name Reflects Much About The Person It’s Attached To And Sometimes It Doesn’t Match At All

What’s in a name? Considerable, in the case of Valley Christian School track and field athletes Jay King and Danielle Swift.

Today school record-holder King reigns over State B discus throwers.

Because Swift wasn’t, she turned instead from running and became a school record setter and state placing discus and javelin thrower.

At state last weekend she scored 13 of Valley Christian’s 22 meet points, finishing second in the javelin and fourth in the discus.

“They started me running,” said Swift, recalling her junior high days when track and field was ingrained in Valley Christian students. “It didn’t seem to work.”

Johnna Berg, the school shot put record holder, suggested that throwing events might be for her and Swift proved her right.

During her four-year career, Swift has improved the school javelin record 51 feet to 133-3. Last weekend her throw of 130-2 was just four feet away from a state title.

Her discus throw of 113-2 was just a foot and one-half away from a championship and last year would have won the title. Last year she finished second in state at 108-2. It also improved her school record by half a foot.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound King made a 15-foot improvement over his best throw of a year ago, setting and improving on his school record several times.

He reached 143-0 at the Strandberg Invitational and improved that by six inches on his first state throw.

“It felt really good,” he said. “The wind kind of caught it at the end and dumped it or I thought it would have been farther.”

When he first set the school record in a meet in Ritzville, King said it gave him confidence.

“After I did that I threw a lot better in practice and it kind of went up from there,” he said.

He said former track coach Brent Harken helped him realize that with training and effort, the rest would fall into place.

Befitting Christian school students, both credit their faith with their success.

“There was no way otherwise I could have stayed calm in the ring,” said King. “I was so nervous it wasn’t funny.”

Swift suffered through a career-long series of nagging injuries that kept her from reaching her full potential.

“When you persevere through your struggles,” she said, “you’ll be rewarded. There hasn’t been a year go by when I haven’t had some problem with my arms, wrist, legs, whatever. It’s kind of an on-going lesson.”

But the success in track and field has been secondary to her stated reason for participating in athletics.

Swift may seem aloof during a meet but she says she’s there not to compete against people but to make friends.

“I used to be shy and meeting people was not easy,” she said. “People think I’m not friendly. I’m just focused. Before and after, hey, let’s talk. I talk a lot, as you can see.”

The state meet at Eastern Washington University was Swift’s final high school competition. She will continue throwing at a small Midwestern Christian college.

King returns to Valley Christian next year where the basketball-track competitor has set lofty goals.

“I’d really like to be throwing in the 170s or 180s,” he said. “I’ve already started lifting weights harder than before. I think it is realistic.”

Don’t sell him short. At the beginning of the year, King predicted a fifth-place team finish and personal state title in track.

Both predictions came true.

“I honestly have no idea how I was so accurate,” he said.

Maybe the regal name had something to do with it.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo