Samantha Kunza is going places. This all-star athlete is a senior at Timberland High School. Not only is she an wonderful woman, she is an amazing athlete ... she is All-American in hammer throw.
For most of her life, Samantha has been perfecting the hammer throw ... I sort of think of it like the discus or shot but, but with a metal ball attached to a grip by a steel wire. The ball weighs upwards of six or more pounds and the winner is determined by how far the hammer is thrown. (As I was reading about the hammer throw, I also found out that the women's hammer throw was first included in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney!) Her big brother also competes in the hammer throw (at Mizzou), and her dad coaches her.
Next fall, Samantha is headed to the University of Alabama (see her awesome sign in the images below!) where she will continue the hammer throw and pursue a future as an interior designer.
It was great getting to spend the afternoon with this wonderful woman, where she explained all things hammer throw and we talked movies! Get to know this lovely lady!
Samantha is stunning! I love everything from her flower dress to her matching gold jewelry! She definitely came dress to impress!
It was really interesting getting to hear Samantha's story and learn about how she got involved in the hammer throw and how it's played. One of the best things about working with seniors is that we get to learn so much about them and about things I never even knew existed! I'm so happy she was willing to share (and have the patience explaining) with me!
Isn't her laugh contagious?!?
One of the best things about fall is the colors, and Samantha's dress really played up the fall colors.
She really has a wonderful heart; you can see it in her smile!
I love everything about this bright red top! It's pretty and lacy and colorful and I love it!
Just recently, Samantha committed to the University of Alabama. She told me she wasn't really nervous about going to a new state, and that she was looking forward to less cold weather! :)
Did you notice her nails even match the color of her shirt?! Such great planning and attention to detail!
As a matchy person myself, I love this!
After pictures around Main Street, we took a short drive over to Lindenwood University, where Samantha practices so we could see her in hammer throw action!
As soon as Samantha changed into her competition outfit, we could feel so much confidence from her!
It was obvious that she was in her element, and in this place, she knew exactly what to do!
What she does is darn impressive! She did one real, full-blown throw for us before we started taking pictures, and that thing flew! We didn't measure how far it went, but we were next to the football/soccer field, and from what I could tell, it practically went the full length of that field. Super impressive!
It was so hard for me not to get distracted as I was taking these! I really just wanted to put the camera down and just was Samantha. I've never seen anyone else do hammer throw, but the way she did it was beautiful.
You can tell she really loves it; in so many pictures, she's smiling as she's doing her routine and throw!
How she can do anything while spinning a heavy ball is beyond me!
I know this girl is going to go far!