“Everybody, look out!” Mrs. Fitch shouted.
Kyle heard a loud clanging sound, like metal hitting metal. The noise rang out over the football field.
Then Kyle saw what had happened. He’d thrown the hammer into the bleachers. The metal ball rolled down the steel steps, making loud, clanking noises the entire time.
“Smooth,” Trevor said. “Way to go, dork.” He clapped slowly, and a couple of the other kids laughed.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Fitch,” Kyle said.
“Now you know why there are nets around the circle at the Olympics,” Mrs. Fitch said. “Let’s move to the next event.”
Mrs. Fitch picked up a flat metal disc. Kyle thought it looked like a miniature flying saucer.
“This is the discus,” she said, holding it up for everyone to see. “Discus throw has been an event since the very first Olympic Games back in 1896. The ancient Greeks have thrown these around since 708 B.C.”
“Wow,” one of the students said. “I didn’t know they had Frisbees back in ancient times.”
Mrs. Fitch laughed. “Well, it’s heavier than a Frisbee,” she said. “The discus weighs more than four pounds for the men’s competition and a little more than two pounds for women.”
“Do you throw it like a Frisbee?” Kyle asked.
Trevor turned around and gave him a dirty look. “Haven’t you ever watched the Olympics? What a dumb question,” Trevor muttered.
“It’s similar. The discus is held underneath the arm, though.” Mrs. Fitch said. “Like the hammer, you spin and release it.”
Mrs. Fitch launched the disc. Everyone had a chance to try it, too. Kyle was able to throw it without any problems.
Next Mrs. Fitch pointed to the metal ball on the ground. “The shot-put,” she said.
Kyle nodded. He’d seen this event a few times on television. It seemed like the ball could be thrown like a baseball, but it was too heavy. The Olympic athletes just appeared to push it away from themselves.
Mrs. Fitch picked up the ball. She held it near her ear. Then she raised her free hand and arm up. She spun twice and pushed the heavy ball out into the field with a yell. It thumped down into the grass.
“There’s a lot of spinning in track-and-field throwing events,” Kyle said.
Mrs. Fitch brushed her hands off and nodded. “There is in three of them,” she said. “But in the last event, you won’t have to spin around at all.”