Lake Zurich’s Arisa Bisofa has made quite an impression in her freshman year.
Just ask Lake Zurich girls track coach Jeremy Kauffman. He has seen few, if any, athletes like the 6-foot-2 Bisofa in his 30 years as a coach.
“You can’t coach 6-foot-2,” Kauffman said. “But the thing is she’s a hard worker. Over time, talent and hard work equal titles. She has the physical ability to be the best thrower in Illinois history.”
Bisofa has already made the case that she’s the best discus thrower in Illinois at the moment. A three-sport athlete, Bisofa finished her first year with a bang, winning the Class 3A title in the discus with a personal-best heave of 45.06 meters during the state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston on May 24.
“I knew I could if I put my mind to it and worked,” she said. “But I knew anything could have happened since I was competing with great athletes.”
Bisofa was ready for the big stage.
“I prepared a lot for state,” she said. “I made sure to get a good amount of sleep for the whole week. I ate pasta probably every day, or some form of carbs, and a lot of protein. I practiced my form and footwork with my coaches.”
Bisofa, whose 10 points helped the Bears finish sixth in 3A, also qualified for the state meet in the shot put and placed seventh with a top throw of 11.75 meters.
“If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season whether I would have even qualified for state in shot put, I would have laughed in your face,” she said.
Lake Zurich assistant Kip Gasper noted Bisofa had to adjust to a new technique in the shot put this year.
“She has a very good technique in discus,” Gasper said. “In the shot put, she had never thrown using a rotational technique, which is what we use here. She picked it up well.”
That doesn’t surprise Gasper, who has learned Bisofa is a student of the sport.
“She follows the great throwers on the world stage and studies videos of the best in the world,” Gasper said. “Arisa takes a lot of reps, shows a willingness to be coached and pays attention to details.”
Such dedication has made Bisofa a successful thrower for years. She won Illinois Elementary School Association state titles in discus and shot put and has won national titles in discus, shot put and javelin.
Bisofa, who also plays volleyball and basketball, has always been tall too.
“Being tall gave me such an advantage in sports,” she said.
Bisofa said her mother is 6-0 and her father is 6-6. Both played sports in Latvia.
“My mom has probably been to 95% of my practices and camps, so she knows what I’m doing wrong most of the time and can remind me during meets,” she said. “My dad just tells me to go out there and throw far and hard.”
Lake Zurich junior Polina Krupsky, who finished third in the 800 meters at the state meet, said she wasn’t shocked to see Bisofa do exactly that.
“All season, I’ve known how talented she is, and watching her growth this winter and spring was really cool,” Krupsky said. “But what sets Arisa apart is she’s always having fun and lifting the moods of everyone around her. She’s pretty easygoing, and I’ve never seen her tensed up or negative.”
Winning a state title at the high school level is only the beginning for Bisofa, who is not putting any limits on what she can accomplish.
“I’m very excited for what’s to come, maybe the Olympics in the future,” she said. “I just have to keep listening to my coaches and doing what I need to do.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
