Having participated in cheerleading her first two years at Elmwood Park, sophomore Jade Cintron wanted to expand her horizons. So, she decided to give track and field a shot.
A base on the Elmwood Park cheerleading squad, Cintron gravitated toward throwing. And, despite no background in the event, she has quickly developed into the Tigers’ top shot putter.
“She has a natural talent and ability for it,” Elmwood Park throws coach Marinelle Arenga said. “Jade is someone who is able to athletically use her body, and it showed in her throws almost instantaneously. That natural ability is really hard to find.”
Cintron’s best throw this season is 29 feet 10 inches, which ranks among the top of throwers in Arenga’s three years as an assistant at the school. Arenga said Emily Long, who graduated in 2015, also threw around 30 feet, but did so as a senior, not as a sophomore like Cintron.
“At this young of age, we haven’t seen that in a while,” Arenga said. “What surprises me is the mere fact that she has no previous experience in it and came on to our team and was instantly throwing 27-28 (feet) at the indoor season after one or two practices.”
Fresh off a second-place finish with a throw of 28 feet, 11 inches at the Elmwood Park Tiger Classic on April 21, Cintron is as surprised as anybody at her instant success in the event.
“I didn’t really think I would get the hang of it as quickly as I have,” said Cintron, an Elmwood Park resident. “I felt like next year I would do a little better, but I was kind of surprised I got the hang of it pretty fast.”
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Cintron to Arenga is that due to her lack of experience, she has plenty of potential for growth in terms of form and mechanics.
The most basic improvement Arena said she is working on with Cintron is her glide, which is the throwing technique she teaches. In glide, Arenga explained, a thrower will kick back with the leg opposite of the throwing hand in order to gain more momentum to catapult the shot. Arenga said it is more beneficial to girls than a rotation approach because it allows them to use their hips with more control.
Once Cintron becomes more adept at executing the glide technique, her distance could climb even more.
“She understands how to do it, but it’s all in the little things that come with it. It’s being able to understand how to open up your hips. All the little things that come into glide is what we’re trying to perfect,” Arenga said. “Right now she understands the amount of strength she’s supposed to be using. But now it’s a matter of using the glide correctly and using her full body for energy. I’m trying to get her to the next level of giving it all out there.”
Cintron acknowledged that she needs to speed up her glide in order to take the next step. But she emphasized that she’s just enjoying the process in her first year. Whatever comes from it, perhaps a place at sectionals, is gravy. In the long term, however, she has a bigger goal.
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“Hopefully I can be able to qualify for state,” Cintron said. “I feel like for any sport that’s the ultimate goal, so that’s what I want.”
A spot at state is generally around the distance of 38 feet, Arenga said, so it’s not a realistic goal for this season. What is attainable, though, is reaching 33 feet, which Arenga said is the next step for Cintron’s development.
“For her to start at 26 and already be at 29 — a three-feet jump is already a big thing, so to have her jump another couple feet before the end of the year is definitely realistic,” Arenga said. “Hopefully if we can reach that and she continues to train the way she does, we can start planning for state qualifying next season.”
Brett Christie is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press