Happy Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving Letter from The Better Angle™️

Gratitude for a Throw That Became a Global Family

By Mark Swiger

Thanksgiving is a holiday built around gratitude — for family, for community, for the people who shape our lives. This year, as we gather around tables, fields, and practice circles, I find myself reflecting on the long, winding, beautiful path that led to Throwing Zone Athletics™️ becoming more than a company.

It became a family.

A global one.

And like every meaningful movement, the story doesn’t start in a boardroom or a marketing plan. It starts with people. It starts in places shaped by challenge and hope. And it starts with a belief that movement — the simple, human act of throwing — can unlock potential in anyone, anywhere.

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Where the First Spark Happened: South Africa, 1995

The roots of this movement reach all the way back to a dusty schoolyard in the townships of South Africa. I was there on a Fulbright-funded study abroad, teaching and learning in communities still fresh from the country’s first all-race elections. The air was heavy with history, hope, and rebuilding.

In that setting, I saw something that never left me:

Children who had nothing… making joy out of movement.

No equipment.

No turf fields.

Just play.

Pure, fearless play.

It hit me with a force I still feel decades later:

Human potential is always there. What’s missing is opportunity.

That truth embedded itself in my coaching philosophy — and it became one of the earliest seeds of what would eventually be Throwing Zone™️.

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Where the Second Spark Happened: Tom Petranoff, Care, and a Vision Bigger Than Us

A short time later, I met the person whose life and brilliance would become the cornerstone of this movement: Tom Petranoff — world-record thrower, inventor of the Turbojav™️, and a biomechanical mind unlike any other.

But Tom’s power wasn’t just in his arm or his technique.

It was, and is, in his heart.

Tom has always understood that throwing isn’t merely about distance — it’s about alignment, sequencing, balance, and staying true to what the body is designed to do. Long before “movement science” became a buzzword, Tom was living it.

And behind Tom’s success was — and is — his family:

Care, whose support and insight shaped the foundation of his work,

and their daughters, who grew up inside this world and brought their own energy and conviction to it.

Great movements are rarely solo acts.

This one certainly isn’t.

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Then Came the Third Spark: Michael Joins the Circle

Fast forward several years — and a new chapter began when Michael joined our team.

Michael brought elite coaching skills, biomechanical mastery, and a heart for athletes of all ages and all abilities. His approach didn’t just strengthen the work Tom and I were doing — it elevated it.

He helped us unify our philosophy into something broad enough for elite athletes, yet accessible enough for schools, adaptive athletes, Special Olympics, Unified Sports, and youth programs across the country.

With Michael on board, we stopped being just coaches collaborating.

We became a movement-building team.

A trio shaped by different experiences, one mission, and a shared belief:

Movement should belong to everyone.

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What Thanksgiving Means to Throwing Zone Athletics™️

This year, gratitude looks like this:

We are grateful for the athletes of all abilities

—from the youth pitcher in Osaka to the Special Olympian in Pittsburgh—

who remind us that movement is a universal language.

We are grateful for the schools and community coaches

who see potential before they see performance.

We are grateful for the families

who bring their children to practice, trust the process, and celebrate progress in all its forms.

We are grateful for the Special Olympics and Unified Sports communities

whose spirit, inclusion, and joy mirror the very best of humanity.

We are grateful for Care, and for Tom’s daughters

who supported Tom through every chapter — from global travels to innovation to recovery — and helped shape the heart of this work.

We are grateful for Michael

whose belief in every athlete—elite, adaptive, or brand-new—helps expand this movement every day.

We are grateful for the global roots

—from South African townships to Japanese training halls—

that taught us not just how to coach, but why.

And we are grateful for Tom

whose vision, innovations, and uncompromising biomechanics have changed throwing sports forever.

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The Better Angle™️: Why This Movement Matters

The Better Angle™️ is more than a blog title.

It’s a philosophy.

It’s the belief that the right angle — the right approach — can change everything:

how we move, how we coach, how we treat each other, and how we unlock potential in every athlete.

It’s the marriage of science and humanity.

It’s the throw that starts in the core — and the story that starts in the heart.

This Thanksgiving, we celebrate the people who have made this possible, and the movement we are building together.

From the bottom of our hearts —

thank you for being part of the Throwing Zone Athletics™️ family.

Wherever you are, however you move,

you belong here.

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**©️ 2024 Throwing Zone Athletics™️. All Rights Reserved.