You may only see their events once every four years at the Olympics, but Harvard's indoor track and field throwers have distinguished themselves with huge performances this year.

The women's squad boasts the likes of sophomore Kristy Johnson and freshman Sarah Link, who both made significant improvements this year. On the men's side, junior Ken Hughes and freshman Tarek Hamid have also enjoyed impressive seasons.

In the indoor season, the Crimson track and field teams have only two throwers each and each thrower can only compete in two events: the shotput and the weight.

Both strength and technical proficiency are needed by the throwers to hurl the shot put and weight. The weight, which is heavier than the shot put, weighs 20 pounds for the women and 35 for the men. That just can't be easy.

With the annual Heptagonals, which act as conference championships for the teams, this coming weekend at Princeton, the throwers are exacting their techniques as a final preparation.

Both Johnson and Hughes are favored to vie for the meet's top positions. Now, the time for training is over and the mental preparation plays a key role.

"When I compete I think about what I need to do in the circle," said Hughes. "I need to have everything technically perfect.

"Hopefully, I will go in to Princeton and throw better than I ever have before. That's always my goal, a personal record."

Johnson holds on to similarly-high ambitions for the competition.

"If I perform up to my potential, I could get as high as second in the shot put and third in the weight," said Johnson.

Johnson, a wily veteran thrower from Wyoming, attributes much of the success of this year's throwers to a new addition to the coaching staff.

"I've been working a lot with Shawn Scheisher," said Johnson, "who was an All-American thrower himself, from Illinois. He's extremely knowledgeable about throwing and competing."

Scheisher, who joined head coach Paul Turner this year, is currently enrolled at the Graduate School of Education. He has assisted the throwers, high-jumpers, and pole vaulters. In so doing, he has changed the dynamics of the team.

"Shawn has brought a much needed structure to the team," said Johnson. "He's really helped Coach Turner out by taking responsibility for some of the team himself."

Essentially, the throwers train only in their small group but still intermingle with their track and field teammates. It seems like this new balance, brought by Scheisher, has given them the extra personal attention they need.