Nisley has been waiting for his time for the past three years—–all of the practices, hard work, and workouts have led him to today, a day in which he stands alone from the rest of his team, and a day in which he can call himself as one of best throwers in the state. Nisley hit a personal record for discus in his first meet of the season at Centennial earlier this month, and while it may seem crazy to many, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise—–all it took was just outworking everyone else.
Nisley has been throwing discus for over seven years now. Looking back, he has really realized that he came into Bishop Gorman “not really knowing how to throw.” When asked what changed, Alex credited his coach, Shawn Absher, for “turning him into something he could have never imagined.” Absher has been working with him for the past four years now, and he has really seen him develop “both mentally and physically as an athlete, positioning himself as one of the top contenders in the state.” Absher added that, over the next couple of meets, he expects Nisley to “sharpen his focus on technique and mental toughness while continuing to set personal records.”
Upon hearing that he hit a PR at Centennial, Nisley was “super excited and taken away.” Regionals is still a couple of months away, but Alex is still able to recognize there is work to be done over the next few weeks. He is looking forward to building on his technique, which he describes as his “bread and butter” and what will “eventually take him all of the way.”
As an outgoing senior, Nisley has been able to appreciate the roller coaster ride that discus has taken him on. “There’s definitely been a lot of highs and lows, but that’s life right. The biggest of lows will always pay out even better highs, so it’s all about sticking with it,” Nisley added. He recognizes that for the rest of the season, he needs to serve as not just a good teammate but also as a leader. Alex wants to be remembered as the guy “that always showed up and put in the work.” It’s easier said than done, but as he said it best, “the results will always show.”
