The Plattsburgh State track & field team is looking for a strong finish from senior thrower Steve Bussey.
Being from the small town of Ticonderoga, New York, Bussey says he was more than happy to attend PSUC.
“Ticonderoga is a small place with not a lot of people,” Bussey said. “I love that everything is so close here in Plattsburgh and there is always something to do. I am also only an hour from home which is nice when it’s time to leave school.”
The passion to become a thrower began in middle school for Bussey. Using motivation for other sports, he found his true calling of being a thrower.
“I needed to stay in shape during the offseason of football and a bunch of my friends were joining the track and field team,” Bussey said. “Being a thrower was a lot of fun for me and I was fairly good at it when I started, which only made me want to get even better at it.”
Bussey throws in several different events for the Cardinals, which makes him a versatile throwing athlete.
“For outdoor, I throw the shot put, discus, and hammer throw,” Bussey said. “But for indoor, I throw only the shot put and the weight throw.”
Being a part of both indoor and outdoor teams, Bussey gets the best of both worlds, but isn’t sure which he likes more.
“I like outdoor a little more because I like being outside, but the weather up here is always unpredictable,” Bussey said. “I like indoor because we don’t need to worry about the elements. Every day we know that we are able to put the necessary work in.”
Last season, Bussey and his teammates were hit with a little bit of adversity when their throwing coach left to take another coaching job.
“It was tough at first because we had no coach right behind us pushing us to be better,” Bussey said. “We had to step up and make each other get better every practice.”
Senior teammate Eric Denny has noticed that Bussey is a huge motivator for the team.
“I would say Steve is the biggest motivator on our team,” Denny said. “He is always helping to improve my throwing game and brings a teaching aspect to practice that I haven’t seen before.”
While last year’s adversity has been conquered, Bussey is facing another obstacle this season. Right now, Bussey is the only active male thrower on the team.
“A couple of teammates transferred out and another teammate is injured which right now means I am pretty much alone,” Bussey said. “During practice time I sometimes throw with the female throwers. The lifts in the morning are harder because there isn’t that many of us pushing one another to get better.”
While Bussey is on the track and field team he majors in accounting and business administration and minors in economics, finance and global supply chain management.
“I like to think I have great time management skills and I think coach uses me as an example of how to be a student-athlete to the younger athletes,” Bussey said. “I always try and get work done on the road which is why I think I am so successful in the classroom because I am never behind on work.”
Bussey uses his throwing career to help himself and the athletes around him grow as people.
“He always wants someone pushing him so in return he will help push you to become better,” Denny said. “I think no matter the situation, Steve can find the motivation and impact the people around him.”
Some athletes look at practice as their worst part of their day, but not for Bussey.
“Every day I get to go out for two hours and not have to think about anything besides throwing,” Bussey said. “It feels good on a stressful day to have some time be clear minded and relax with my teammates as I do the thing I love.”
Email Kyle Espejo at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
