By DARREN COOPER
LOCAL SPORTS COLUMNIST |
The Record
HACKENSACK — The judges still were tallying up the final results, and Midland Park senior javelin thrower Thalia Ghalam was already on the phone.
In this case, it wasn’t narcissistic teenage behavior. An assistant coach had given Ghalam a phone with Panthers head track coach Steve Ferro on the other end. Ferro is recovering from surgery and wasn’t at Hackensack on Friday to witness the events.Ferro’s day undoubtedly was brightened by the news Ghalam shared: She had repeated as the Bergen County Meet of Champions winner in the javelin, throwing 129 feet, 1 inch on her last throw.
“I feel like he’s always running around because he’s a head coach and that’s really stressful, but he’s always here for our throws,” said Ghalam, 17. “Even if we’re doing bad, he says, ‘Get your heads up.’ I remember one meet, maybe it was the Twin-Boro Relays, and we weren’t doing well. And he pulled us all aside and was like, ‘What are you putting your heads down for?
“This is all about competing against yourself and doing better.”
Few have been better this season than Ghalam. She has carried on the tradition of Midland Park javelin excellence, and her throw of 141 feet earlier this spring remains tops in New Jersey.
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