Whitman’s Jack Poplawski has pentathlon down to a science

Jack Poplawski is building a bridge to a state championship. But first, he built an actual bridge.

Poplawski, a Whitman pentathlete, loves competition almost as much as he loves physics. So, when he found an opportunity to combine both at the recent Brookhaven National Laboratory Bridge Building Contest, he could hardly resist.

“We had a normal bridge [building] competition in physics class,” Poplawski said. “Then, if you wanted to, this gave you the opportunity to build another bridge against other people and other schools.”

Poplawski made his bridge out of balsa wood sticks, taking only a few days to put the model together.

“I just thought it would be fun to do,” said Poplawski, who placed ninth in the competition. “I didn’t mind building another bridge and [showing] another idea of mine.”

Physics is always on Poplawski’s mind. Perhaps that’s part of the reason he likes shot put so much.

“It’s more technique than people give it credit for,” Poplawski said of the throwing event.

And he’s pretty good at it too — along with a host of other things. Poplawski is the most accomplished returning finisher from last year’s outdoor state championship pentathlon. After just one full season competing in the event, the now-junior placed fourth in the Federation with 3,157 points. This year, he wants the top prize.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Poplawski said of a potential state title. “I’m confident.”

Pentathlon is not for the event-specific athlete. Competitors are asked to show the full range of their athleticism, racking up points in the 110-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, and 1,500 meters.

Although Poplawski claims not to have a favorite event, throwing the shot does release his inner physics buff. He’s not alone either. On some days, the Whitman throwing practice — which includes some of his AP physics classmates — resembles more of a study session than a who-can-throw-farthest competition.

“When we throw, we throw physics concepts around,” Poplawski said after an early-season practice. “Today, when we were throwing disc, we were talking about moments of inertia, amount of torque, and coefficients of friction . . . It’s all banter. It is serious, but it’s more or less just banter.”

Banter or not, Poplawski is serious about shot put. So much so, that he’s decided to shift from the glide technique to the spin in hopes of bettering his 39 foot, 5-inch throw from last season’s state championships.

“I didn’t have a problem with the glide, but spinning seems a lot cooler,” Poplawski said. “The farthest throws in the shot have been from spins, as opposed to glides. I just feel like it could help me.”

And, like a true scientist, he’s willing to test anything that can help.