A family tradition in Hingham

Patriot Ledger, The (Quincy, MA) - Saturday, May 2, 2009

By Adam Riglian
The Patriot Ledger

The javelin is an art form that few master. It is separate from the rest of the track and field events, not requiring the brute strength of the shot put or the endurance of the two-mile.

Javelin requires repetitious practice, technique and form. Those virtues must run in the Lincoln family. The clan has had a vice-grip on the Hingham High School record books since the 1970s.

On April 8, Ben Lincoln took down the record his uncle Mark had held for 32 years, throwing 185 feet, 2 inches in a meet against Middleboro and Silver Lake.

"We're excited he has the record. We're happy for him," said Tom Lincoln, Ben's father, who also held the Hingham javelin record - from 1972-77, until his brother Mark displaced him.

The family's history in the sport dates back roughly 40 years, and has included almost a dozen people over multiple generations.

The first of the Lincolns to compete at Hingham was Richard, the eldest of the four brothers who threw for the Harbormen in the '70s. It was Richard's involvement that piqued the interest of his brother, Tom.

"My brother Richard had thrown it in high school, and I wasn't very good at baseball," Tom said, "so I went out for track and started throwing it."

Tom, a 1972 graduate of Hingham High, set the school record in the javelin at 182 feet during his days as a Harbormen. He later went on to compete at Harvard, throwing as far as 211 feet, before becoming an emergency room doctor at Cape Cod Hospital.

His record did not stand all that long. Both of his younger brothers, Mickey and Mark, also threw the javelin at Hingham. It was Mark who set the mark in 1977, topping out at 184 feet. Mark's record stood untouched for 32 years - until Ben came along.

Tom returned to Hingham as a javelin coach nine years ago, and has since coached four children - Jennifer, Rachel, (who set the girls record) Hannah and Ben - plus a nephew (Brennan).

"My daughter Jennifer was on the team and begged me to come down" to practice, Tom Lincoln recalled, "so I said, "Ah, OK', so I came down and I stayed."

His coaching may have ended up being better than his throwing, as he has now led two more Lincolns to school records.

"He's a really good guy, and he's been instrumental in our program," Hingham coach Fred Jewett said. "Having Tom Lincoln is just a blessing."

The first Lincoln to set a record under Tom's tutelage was Rachel, who in 2007 threw 117-3 - a record which still stands.

Then, it was Ben's turn to carry the mantle. For him, breaking the record was years in the making.

"It's hard to say (when I started) - competitively (by the) ninth grade," Ben said, "but by seventh grade I was familiar with it."

His improvement since that time has been steady. In 2007, his best throw was 167 feet. Last year as a junior, he finished second at Division 3 States with a distance of 176-7, and one week later finished fourth at the All-State Meet. All but one of the throwers that finished ahead of him have graduated; the other is Justin Siekierski from Minnechaug.

"(Winning the state championship) is one of the main goals," Ben said. "I'm friends with most of the big throwers; we see each other at all the big meets."

Last Tuesday, Ben furthered his own record, throwing 191-4. The new mark creates some breathing room between him and any future Lincolns and inches him towards state records.

Win or lose at the state level, Ben's track career is far from over. He is headed to Wake Forest University, where he will continue throwing in the ACC - one of the most competitive track conferences in the nation.

"I like big challenges, so that will make me work harder towards my goals," Ben said.

When he's home from school, there will still be plenty of opportunities for him to throw. The family takes trips to meets around the country and Ben continues to compete locally at the Bay State Games.

"We practice in the summer, we go out as a family and throw the javelin just for fun," Tom said. "On and off, all year long since they were kids, it's sort of a unifying thing."

The Lincolns have traveled to the West Coast and even Omaha, Neb., for meets during the year.

"Who goes to Omaha, right?," Tom joked.

The same people that have to ask to baggage check a javelin.