NBNO Shot Put Champion Zoe Vlk Making Progress With Coach Braidy Miller, King Of Scottish Highland Throwing Events

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

One day Zoe Vlk will get the chance to toss a telephone pole, hurl a large stone and maybe even fling a sack of hay with a pitchfork. 

“I would love to do it, but I'm not allowed, yet,” she said. 

Vlk, a rising senior at Wilson Central High in Lebanon, Tenn., is referring to participating in the Scottish Highland Games. Vlk's throwing coach, Braidy Miller, is something of a legend in these contests. A professional in the sport for the last four years, and a Masters World Champion, Miller will try to defend his titles at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games this weekend in MacRae Meadows in Linville, N.C.

The throwing events include: A 56-pound weight toss for height (and distance); a 22-pound hammer throw; the caber (a 19-foot pole) toss; a 28-pound weight throw for distance; tossing the sheaf (a burlap sack of hay) using a pitchfork (for height); the clachneart (16-pound stone) toss for distance – all while wearing a kilt. 

So far, Miller is being protective when it comes to Vlk's interest in these events.

“Zoe bugs me and wants to do this and that and I say, ‘You know what? You got the rest of your life and after college,’” he said. “I don’t allow her to do any of the throwing. If you don’t do some of the stuff right, the risk of injury is too high,”  Miller said

For now, though, Vlk has settled on competing in the shot put, discus and weight throw (indoors), where she's carved out a name for herself as one of the best high school throwers in the country. Last month at the New Balance National Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, N.C., Vlk was a surprise winner with a personal best of 49 feet, 1.50 inches (14.97m) to claim the girls national shot put title. INTERVIEW

The mark smashed a 35-year-old Tennessee all-time state record.

“That was something I’d seen coming for a long time,” said Miller, who was not able to be at nationals, but was getting text updates from Vlk’s mom.

“She’s had some good warmup throws in meets, and we knew it was in there. I’m not surprised. I’m glad she got one in a meet. It’s a cool story, big PR last meet of the season, and she’s still got her senior year to go.” 

Vlk’s throwing career began because she didn’t want to play volleyball. Miller, who started coaching throws at Wilson Central largely for the benefit of his two sons, first laid eyes on Vlk her freshman year. 

“We held tryouts in November and she showed up in shorts and a T-Shirt in the freezing cold,” Miller said. 

But since that cold fall day, Miller had an inkling Vlk possessed raw talent. 

“When we were done with the tryout I talked to my boys and said, ‘Give me a few weeks. I think she's going to be pretty good at this,’ and that’s how it started,” Miller said. “This was her third year of throwing and she’s learning and still a novice. Her potential is still big.” 

This past spring, Vlk won the Tennessee Meet of Champions shot put (43-11.75) and discus (124-4). In the indoor season, she claimed the state shot put (40-1) and weight throw (54-0.75) titles. 

Vlk said having Miller, who threw with his younger brother Brent at Eastern Illinois University, and both are in the record books, has helped her progression, knowledge and love of the sport grow. 

“He is almost like a second dad to me, to be honest,” Vlk said. “At first I was very nervous because he’s got quite the presence, but after a while I really got to know him and his family, and now I have a pretty good relationship where I trust him and his opinion matters very highly to me.” 

While Miller doesn’t teach at Wilson Central, he’s a middle school P.E. teacher and football and girls basketball coach at Donelson Middle Prep in Nashville. His two sons, Braidon, a senior at King University, and Kolin, a sophomore at East Tennessee State, are both throwers on the track and field team. They work with Vlk during the summer, lifting and throwing. 

“It’s more of a competition between the three of us,” Vlk said. “I’m always aiming to prove myself even though they are a lot stronger and a lot bigger. It’s a lot of fun and we rely on each other.” 

One of the main things Vlk has learned from Miller is to not give up. 

“He’s taught me if it was easy, everyone would do it,” she said. 

Miller, who is coming off any injury, will attempt to win his third straight Scottish Athlete of the Games this weekend. Vlk said she’ll be watching and rooting for her coach. 

“It gives me a lot of pride to think that someone like that is my coach and that he's willing to help a person like me, and I really appreciate that,” she said. “I hope he doesn't push himself too hard. But then again, I hope he does what he loves.”