Carter signs in track with Wake Forest

Carson High's Josh Carter took the super information highway to make a trip 3,000 miles away.

Carter signed a letter of intent on Friday with Wake Forest to compete in track in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Carter found out about the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Winston-Salem, N.C. through the internet.

He searched the internet, looking for schools that had a immediate need for throwers in track.

"About in January I started trying to get a hold of track programs and a place where I can compete my first year," Carter said.

Carter saw that Wake Forest was in need of throwers and contacted the school. He didn't realize how fast the school would contact him.

"I e-mailed them and heard back from them in 20 minutes," he said. "I've never known anybody to do that. I figured maybe the next couple days, the next week, I would get a letter in the mail."

The only other school that Carter seriously considered was Southern Utah where fellow Carson thrower Chandler Menteer has just completed his freshman year. While the chance to join Menteer again as a teammate was attractive, Southern Utah couldn't match the financial package offered by Wake Forest.

Wake Forest has offered a package that nearly pays for all of his yearly $31,000 cost, offering Carter $29,000 a year.

"Their financial aid was very good," Carter said. "I've got to come up with $2,000 on my own and that's it.

"That was big. I'm glad to be able to have a school to go to. There's a chance that if I do well, it might all be paid for by the end."

Besides, going to North Carolina means Carter can leave the high desert and would no longer have to train in the snow.

"It's green, not much desert," Carter said. "I don't have to throw in the snow in the beginning of the season like I did here."

This past season, Carter had the state's best throw in the shot put at 58 feet, 3 3/4 inches and placed second at the NIAA/U.S. Bank State 4A championships. He also placed fourth in state in the discus and has a personal best of 161-10 in that event.

Carter has just begun to learn to throw the hammer. "A couple of times in the last week," said Carter about beginning the hammer throw. "I'm not too good at it right now."

Carter hopes to place in the ACC as a freshman and hopes to eventually qualify for the NCAA Championships. "I can get stronger and quicker," he said.

In addition, Carter hasn't closed the door on possibly playing football at Carson. This past season, Carter rushed for a 7.0-yard average and 14 touchdowns in making the all-Sierra League first team.

He said the school has told him he could come out for football. "It probably won't happen this year," Carter said. "But down the road, it's a possibility. We'll see."

While he hasn't decided on a major, Carter is leaning toward education and becoming a teacher and a coach. Carter admitted it's still a little hard to believe he will be going so far away from home.

"It is a little strange," he said. "I can't say that it's totally set in, yet."