Pine Bush’s Matt Hellig likes to throw, and the outdoor scoring events are not his favorites.
Hellig, a senior, prefers the javelin, a non-scoring event, above the shot put and the discus.

“I just always liked it ever since I started doing it,” he said. “It’s always really fun. And I have enjoyed ever since.”

Hellig was in Middletown Friday competing in the Section 9, Class A championships a week after he competed at the OCIAA meet in Warwick, where he was second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.

At the sectional meet last week, Hellig won the discus, covering 143-feet, six-inches. Hellig was third at the sectional meet in the shot put. Hellig has never been to states in those events because he has concentrated so much on the javelin.

“I haven’t given up on the other events, but I don’t train as hard as I do for javelin,” he said. “(It) does not bother me too much when I don’t go to states.”

Hellig wants to go to college to throw the javelin, but he has not decided yet on where he wants to go to school. He does wants to study art or to become a physics teacher.

Hellig is closing out his final spring for Pine Bush before he graduates next month. He is still deciding on his future plans, but he said throwing has been becoming an important and positive part of his life.

It has helped him in school to focus on this work, and he wants to take that passion to throw on the collegiate level after he leaves Pine Bush to start his future.

“It’s fun. I just enjoy it,” he said. “It takes up a good part of my life because I enjoy it so much.”