The mission of the YoCo Throwers Club is to help our athletes reach their full potential as throwers and people, through training, guidance and encouragement.
HOW WE STARTED
During the 2022 track season, Coach Best and Coach Smith began talking about the need for a club to help the throwers of York County, South Carolina continue developing year-round. Both had a strong desire to raise the level of throwing in the area and had been thinking about starting a club individually in the years prior, but both wanted a partner in the venture. They agreed to pursue the idea together. In the ensuing months they researched the necessary steps to found a USATF-affiliated club that fulfilled all legal requirements and best practices, while coaching their existing throws programs. By late summer of 2023, they fulfilled all the necessary requirements; and the YoCo Throwers Club started practice on November 1, 2023. The Coaches are excited about achieving this long-term dream, and creating a place for the throwers of York County and the surrounding area to reach their full potential.
Coach Smith
Stephen Smith has been an Assistant Track and Field Coach, heading the throws program, for Rock Hill High School for the last seven years. In that time, the school has gone from not qualifying any throwers for the SCHSL State Championship Meet in many years to qualifying multiple throwers for the State Championship and scoring in the last two years.
Coach Smith is a USATF Level 2 Certified Coach for the throws and is on the USATF Coaches Registry. He is also an NFHS Level 2 Certified Coach.
Coach Smith is a USATF Certified Association-level Official in all the throws, regularly officiating in USATF, NCAA and SCHSL meets.
Coach Smith still throws in masters meets and was a state champion shot putter in high school.
Coach Best
In 2003, Brett Best assumed the role of throws coach at Winthrop University. Under his guidance, Winthrop throwers have achieved remarkable success, including rewriting over 200 school records, claiming 16 Big South Conference Championships, producing 42 All-Big South Conference performers, and advancing 10 athletes to the NCAA first round. Notably, four of his athletes reached the NCAA Championship Round, earning the prestigious title of NCAA All-American. This achievement surpasses the combined accomplishments of all other Winthrop University sports.
Before joining Winthrop, Best coached at Beloit College in Wisconsin, where he nurtured several All-Americans in the throws and jumps. From 1997 to 2001, he contributed to the success of athletes at Virginia Tech, coaching All-Americans in the hammer and heptathlon. Notably, Best was an all-conference thrower during his own collegiate career at the University of Chicago.
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