Good Sports: North Valley track and field coach aims to make impact in both sports and music

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- For Mike Hammar, picking his athletics wasn't a changeable successful the dark.

A starting weapon signaled the opening of a lifelong transportation to way and field, 1 rooted successful household tradition.

"There's hammer successful our DNA, I guess. We each threw hammer," Hammar said.

Hammar comes from a household of way and tract athletes known for the throwing events. He and his 3 children each went connected to vie successful college, continuing a bequest that yet led Hammar into coaching the adjacent procreation of athletes.

"How precious it was, it truly became a household thing, my woman and each of america traveling to these things," helium said.

More than 3 decades into his coaching career, Hammar present splits his clip moving with throwers astatine Golden Valley and Atwater. The 2 schools were portion of the archetypal yearly Black and Blue Hammar Invitational, a way conscionable dedicated to honoring his interaction connected the sport.

"My name's connected the medals, they're saying saccharine words astir me," Hammar said.

The recognition, helium added, has been profoundly meaningful.

While coaching has defined overmuch of his nationalist life, it is not the pursuit helium has done the longest. Music has been a changeless since his teens.

"I've been playing guitar for wealth since I was 17," Hammar said.

Forty-five years later, his band, Mike Hammar and the Nails, is playing to sold-out crowds successful Merced arsenic portion of its tour. The radical blends archetypal euphony with prime covers.

Balancing coaching and music, Hammar said, is astir uncovering the close hostility - overmuch similar tuning a guitar.

"There's an aged happening astir guitar strings," helium said. "It tin beryllium similar stress, mode excessively tight, oregon excessively loose, wherever you're a small bored. So tuning that guitar, it's truly casual to grin each time erstwhile you've got thing you like, you look guardant to it," helium said.

The guitar connected this year's medal and playing the nationalist anthem earlier the way conscionable harvester some of Mike's passions into 1 legacy.

For sports updates, travel Sydney Berger connected Facebook, X and Instagram.