Every time Valerie Allman stepped into the discus circle last weekend, she drew a crowd.

The Silver Creek sophomore has suddenly become one of the better discus throwers in the state, and people are taking notice.

Opposing coaches marveled at her great form. They talked about how well she uses her hips and how well she threw into the wind.

Of course, they marveled at the results, too.

During the Boulder County Invitational at Everly-Montgomery Field, Allman easily won the girls discus with a throw of 139 feet, 2 inches to break her own school record by 7 feet. She won the meet by nearly 31 feet. In fact, she was so good that she would have been second place in the boys discus.

"I was very, very excited," she said of her top throw.

Allman also placed second in the shot put. It is in the discus, however, that she is quickly becoming an elite competitor.

Just one girl in the entire state has a throw better than Allman this year -- Pueblo Centennial`s Krystel Martinez (143-1).

It`s been a rather remarkable leap for Allman in the past year.

As a freshman in 2010, she did not qualify for state.

"Last year my best was around 100 feet," she said.

It was an important year, however, because Allman developed a passion for throwing the discus.

"I found something I really loved and I knew it was something I wanted to do maybe for college, so I decided I should really put work into it," she said. "I started lifting and started practicing and ended up here."

Silver Creek assistant coach Brian Gunnarson said Allman came to him at the end of the 2010 season and "basically wanted to re-learn the event."

So, they started over.

"We literally started that progression from the beginning," Gunnarson said.

It has been an ongoing project to perfect Allman `s skills in the discus. This was not something Allman would do from time to time.

"A kid has to be willing to work," Gunnarson.

Oh, she worked. Allman worked three to five days a week. She spent time in the weight room. She threw the discus. She even went out for cross country in the fall, just to get in better shape.

"He stuck with me and I know I wouldn`t be here without him," Allman said.

It hasn`t always been a smooth ride. Allman said of her form, "There`s days where it`s not so good and days where it just works."

Gunnarson said getting Allman to where she ultimately wants to be has been a process that often means taking steps back. He credits Allman for being patient throughout the process.

"She`s willing to take a step back to learn something new," he said.

Allman has certainly come a long way from the beginning of 2010.

"They thought, 'Oh, she`s a strong girl. She can maybe get it out there,'" Allman said.

It is more than just strength that has made Allman so good, however. She has spent the past 10 years as a dancer, proving she has tremendous athletic ability.

While dancing may not translate to the discus circle, her athleticism does. She has combined her strength and athleticism to dramatically improve her results.

Year-round throwing has also helped, Gunnarson said, because Allman has learned how to throw into different winds.

"If you get wind conditions, we don`t care where the wind is coming from; she`s going to throw well," Gunnarson said.

Even while she put in those hours of work to get better, Allman said she had no idea how good she was becoming.

During the first meet this spring, she threw 132 feet, 2 inches.

"The first meet, I was so surprised," she said.

Winning and achieving great results has only fueled her love for throwing.

"I love the fluidity that I think comes with it," she said. "I always thought it was more like a rugged thing, but I found a way to make it graceful, which is something I think is kind of cool."

The coolest thing of all is that Allman is barely 16 years old and has two years of high school competition after this one. How good she becomes is really up to her.

"In all sorts of little areas, she can get better, which will make those throws be a lot better," Gunnarson said.