Conestoga javelin thrower Aidan Krombolz is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The 6-foot-2 Conestoga junior captured first place in the javelin by more than 34 feet at the Central League Championships May 11, and his mark of 179-07 broke Chris Roe’s school record set in 2006. A couple of weeks earlier, at West Chester Henderson, his throw of 177-05 was good enough to qualify for the high school national championships in North Carolina. His father, Phillip Krombolz, used to throw the javelin for Conestoga High School and Lafayette College.
Q: What is your most vivid memory of your winning throw at Central League Championships – can you share it with us? What did it mean to you to break the school record set by Chris Roe, who went on to become an elite javelin thrower for Dartmouth?
A: The thing I remember most about the throw was thinking, “Hmmmm, that was a good one,” because you can’t really tell exactly how far it went until they read off the distance. But once they did, I immediately knew that it was the new school record and I was really happy to finally have achieved that. To me, breaking Roe’s record meant a lot because if he could go on to do well with javelin in college after a very similar mark that means I have the potential to do the same.
Q: What do you think has been the key to your recent success in the javelin?
A: I think the biggest factor affecting my success recently has been the weather. A lot of the meets have been really rainy and wet, creating a very muddy and slippery runway, [but] luckily the meet at West Chester Henderson was good weather and that gave me the opportunity to throw well.
Q: You’ve mentioned that the javelin event has been a part of your family going back for several generations, and that you used to play in the backyard with your dad’s college javelin as a youngster. How old were you when you first started throwing the javelin? What advice did your dad give you when you started throwing the javelin as a youngster?
A: I was a freshman when I first started throwing javelin. I used to play with my dad’s old [javelin] mainly to get things down that I got stuck [above] in trees, but I think just having held one before my freshman year helped me be more comfortable throwing it. My dad always has good advice to help critique me and make me better.
Q: Does your height (6-foot-2) give you an advantage in throwing the javelin?
A: I think being on the taller side definitely helps with leverage and just having long arms gives me a bit of an advantage as well.
Q: Can you take us through a typical day of training for the javelin?
A: We always warm up with running, but the bulk of practice is [spent] working on making our form better and stretching a lot. Being flexible is very important for throwing the javelin.
Q: Who have been your biggest javelin mentors, and what was the most important thing each of them taught you?
A: My biggest mentors would be my dad, his cousin Skip, and obviously my coach at [Conestoga]. The biggest thing I think my dad taught me is to throw through the point of the spear, it really helps to get the trajectory you need to get the extra distance. With Skip and my coach, I think the biggest thing they taught me is my footwork. I’ve been working on it a lot with them and they’ve been very helpful.
Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a meet.
A: Most of all I think being in a good mood helps me. Other then that, before meets I run to warm up and then do a lot of stretching. I do some throwing to warm up but not too much so I don’t get my arm tired. It helps me the most to not really think about specific things I’m doing and to just have fun throwing, because that’s when I do the best.
Q: What do you think you might want to major in at college? What colleges are among your current favorites? Is there a particular career path that interests you at the present time?
A: In college I think I want to study engineering and maybe some business. Some of my favorite colleges that I’m looking at are Bucknell, UNH, and RPI. They all have good engineering programs.
Q: Do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Conestoga High School? What sparked your interest in these activities?
A: I play football for the school as well as doing track in the winter and spring seasons. I started playing football just because a lot of my friends play and it would be a fun experience and I did winter track just to stay in shape for the spring season. I didn’t compete in the winter, I would just train with them.
Fun facts – Aidan Krombolz
Favorite movie: Harry Potter.
Favorite athlete: Steph Curry.
Favorite color: Blue.
Born: March 24, 1999.
Family members: Rochelle and Phillip Krombolz (parents) and Sage Krombolz (sister).
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
