Kornacki: Ellis, #MeatFactory Teammates Establishing U-M Throwers
5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 25, 2017
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Joe Ellis became a link in history by winning the hammer throw with a school-record toss of 232 feet, 10 inches in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships two weeks ago in State College, Pennsylvania.
That made him the first University of Michigan Wolverine to win that conference event since 1930, when Holly Campbell did so and went on to win the NCAA championship with a toss of 162 feet, 8 1/4 inches.
Eighty-seven years had passed and the Michigan hammer record is now over 70 feet longer, and Ellis enjoyed learning a bit more about Campbell, who came to Ann Arbor from the state's Upper Peninsula and went on to become an engineer in the mining and utilities industries. However, Ellis was more interested in being part of a group hoping to become trail blazers for Wolverines coach Jerry Clayton's throwing program.
"It's awesome to know that Michigan had a Big Ten champ in the hammer for the first time since 1930," said Ellis, "but with guys like (teammate) Grant Cartwright, it's the start of a new era. I hope it continues until well after we're gone.
"It speaks volumes to the changes Coach Clayton has made in the four years he's been here. Michigan was and still is known as a long-distance (running) powerhouse, but under his influence we can start getting known for throws and jumps because those are his specialties. He has a knack for making people work harder than they think they can and performing under pressure."
Ellis, a junior from Eastlake High in Sammamish, Washington, is part of a family that relocated from England so his father could take a job as a software developer at Microsoft more than 20 years ago, and he has more than a passing interest in history.
"I'm so impacted by my British family," said Ellis. "My grandfather gave myself and my three brothers all a love of history and the English history in particular. I'm a history major with an emphasis on the later medieval history.
"I hope to graduate next year and take my fifth year to pursue a master's in education. I'd like to be a teacher-coach. Athletics has been such a big part of my life that I'd like to give other kids a chance to experience that."
Ellis is making history at Michigan by helping establish the throwing program with senior Cartwright, the Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2017. Cartwright twice broke Ellis' school indoor record in the weight throw before winning the conference championship in that event. Ellis has two seasons of eligibility remaining, while Cartwright has one.
"He was my co-host when I visited along with the senior co-captain at the time, Cody Riffle, and Grant brought me along," Ellis said. "He helped me with my first meal plan to help me gain weight and drove me to practice. He was my training partner and also has come a long way. He was Big Ten champ in the (35-pound) weight (throw) and then scored 16 points, which was incredible.
"Our camaraderie comes from being highly competitive. The farthest throw wins every day, and the only way to prepare for that is to always be competing in every aspect of the sport. That includes weight lifting, throwing, eating. It's all a competition and comes back to our drive to win and feed this team and do great things."
Which is where the #meatfactory comes into play.
"We're really proud of that," said Ellis. "During the indoor season, we created this Instagram account, called @umichthrows, and it gives us a chance to put some of our training out there.
"We came into some meets this winter and people shouted, 'Meat Factory!' It gives us a pretty good standard to rally behind at all these meets. We all showed up at the Big Ten Championships -- me, Grant and Andrew Liskowitz -- and we all performed very well, scoring 32 points. I think it's over the bond we share over the unusual hashtag of meat factory."
Clayton said, "It's amazing how far they've all come in four years. Once they started listening to my concepts, which were quite a bit different from what they'd heard before, that throwers group became really solid. They really push each other and that's the key and that's the culture I've always had and had a lot of success with (while coaching at Auburn and Florida). The leadership and work ethic are key, and the results help feed that. They've really developed a culture, and I think that Michigan throwers are definitely something the nation is starting to recognize."
Probably one of two throws squads to consume over 20 lbs of bacon in a week too 😏
A post shared by University of Michigan Throws (@umichthrows) on
"Meat Factory" is a 24/7 carnivorous state of mind.
"We love to cook steaks and grill," said Ellis. "It's always fired up and we'll go ribeyes, steaks, chicken, the works, just about every day of the week. As a thrower, you have to have this mentality that you're the big guy and you love to eat, lift and throw.
"So, we always imagine that we're being built in a factory with meat. It was kind of funny, but after my big throw at the Big Tens, I got out of the (throwing) ring and started shouting, 'Meat Factory!' "
Throwers Ellis, Cartwright, Liskowitz, Manning Plater and javelin thrower Stephen Burk share an off-campus house where they play video games, watch football and grill.
"We've got three freezers and a couple fridges," said Ellis. "We need a permanent supply of sirloin ready to go. I am, personally, a T-bone guy. There's something about the bone that gives it better flavor. Grant likes ribeyes. Burk will get a New York strip and Andrew is more of a sirloin guy. He loves these ham sandwiches he makes, too."
They're meat-powered guys who give new definition to the term throwing your weight around.
"The weight throw has a handle attached with a linking chain that is attached to something like a cannonball," said Ellis. "You throw it just like a hammer and it's a real joy to throw, and we train with a 44-pound ball that makes the 35 feel like a Wiffle ball.
"The hammer has a handle with just over a four-foot wire that is essentially a shot put ball (weighing 16 pounds). There's a metal swivel into the ball from where it attaches and that allows it to spin freely."
Ellis, because he is right-handed, spins counter-clockwise times several before releasing the hammer or weight forward.
"Joe's made really good progress from the time I met him in high school," said Clayton. "He hadn't had very much experience in the hammer, but he showed promise in the film I'd seen.
"In his first year, he was really focused and worked hard. I could tell from the beginning that he had similarities to other throwers I had who were successful. But the key was that he had great attitude and work ethic. He listened and believed in everything we were doing, and that helped him mature tremendously after he red-shirted that first year."
Ellis was a two-way football lineman and threw the shot put and discus in track and field until new Eastlake High coach George Mathews introduced him to the hammer during his junior year.
"I was a pretty average discus and shot putter," said Ellis. "One day, Coach Mathews brought a hammer to practice and I just fell in love with throwing it. It looks really weird, but I would drive 45 minutes from my house to Seattle to practice. I'm forever thankful to Coach Mathews. He's 71 but still actually throws, and was my coach and training partner through high school."
He's the youngest of the four sons of John and Caroline Ellis, and the only one in his family born in the U.S. Ellis competed in the British Under-20 Championships in 2016 in the hammer.
"I had an American life with the interesting flair of having English parents," he said. "I'm really making a go of trying to compete for England because it gives me a wonderful opportunity to go back and show my family, including grandparents, what I can do right in front of them, and hopefully represent them."
Ellis will compete Thursday evening (May 25) at the NCAA Regional meet at the University of Kentucky.
"It should be a fun challenge," he said. "I actually reached the regional round last year, and it's an opportunity to perform as best as you can and advance to the next round."
If he performs as well as he hopes, Ellis likely will shout at the top of his lungs the thrower group's rallying cry: "Meat Factory!" Then order a T-bone steak to celebrate.
Players Mentioned
