KFDM COOP Posted April 23, 2008 Report Posted April 23, 2008 Titans Smith ready for 5A regional By Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News Port Arthur Memorial senior Danielle Smith sleeps and studies in her spare time... what little of that, there might be. The 18-year-old do-everything track and field star predictably enters this weekend's Region III championships as a District 21-5A champion in more than one event. One is never enough for this 6-2 ball of fire. Danielle is friendly. She is intelligent. It goes without mentioning that she's very athletic. She makes good grades and good pizzas in that order. She's really still in that stage of life when she hasn't found much of anything that she can't do. By capturing her most competitive league's gold medal in the shot put and discus, Smith may create the illusion for a complete stranger that she may appear huge, chubby and overweight. Danielle is none of those. She's rather graceful for a shot and discus thrower. Track and field definitely does not consume her year-round sports passion. Volleyball and basketball keep her busy during the earlier parts of the school year. "Volleyball would definitely be where my heart is," Smith said. "I wanted to play softball but my mother said 'no' that I stay away from home too much." Daniel and Lawanda Smith may have to travel to Houston and may have to visit Rice University's campus before long if Danielle should wind up there. If the parents want any advice on overseeing their virtuoso daughter, they always can feel free to consult with former Lincoln standout athlete Kevin Henry. He's worked with Danielle on her "throwing" game at Memorial for four years. While dad Daniel "spoils her rotten" by her own admission, and mom Lawanda is the disciplinarian, Henry has been sort of like a big brother. Meet after meet Danielle has her routines, her moments to relax and her generally good performances. She leads the Golden Triangle in both girls throwing events with a season-best 39-3 in her stronger event (the shot) and 117-10 in the discus. To the casual observer, those two events may seem like very identical twins in terms of testing one's power and dexterity. They are not. A different technique is utilized in each one for Smith, who definitely views the two as much different types of events. Smith uses a slide technique as she pivots and hurls the steel ball from the throwing ring. It's an event where Smith expects to excel. She finished fifth at last April's Class 5A regionals with a throw of 37-7. "I really knew I would make it (to regionals) in the shot," Smith said Tuesday The discus is a whole different breed of cat to Danielle whose expectations in that event often seem surpassed by her coach's expectations. Memorial mentor Henry has not seen Danielle spin and whirl and unleash a dream throw of 130 feet.... only in Kevin's dreams. Yet the coach believes it can and will happen.
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