You would think it would be a long stretch to suggest that Hercules from ancient Greece and Christine Streisel from Tamaqua have anything in common.

But they do.In 708 B.C., Hercules threw the first javelin. In the eighth grade, Streisel let fly her first javelin.But while Hercules never threw his javelin in competition, Streisel has made a name for herself in javelin competitions for nearly a decade.Streisel's most recent competition came a few weeks ago as a member of the Duke University track team. Throwing at the NCAA Division I championships in Eugene, Oregon, Streisel had an 18th-place finish.Growing up in an athletic family, Streisel played basketball and Little League baseball. She said she had a "good arm" for what would eventually become her sport of preference."My father took me to the high school to watch Casey Wagner throw the javelin one day," said Streisel. "Casey was very good. Then I watched Allison Updike throw pretty far, too. I thought they were cool."My dad asked John Kotchmar, the high school volunteer javelin coach, if he would work with me."As they say, the rest is history.Streisel went on to star in the javelin during her high school career at Tamaqua, eventually winning a PIAA State championship and earning a track and field scholarship to Duke.Although her success in the event has been impressive, it didn't come immediately.Her first few throws with the seven-foot long spear went into the ground right in front of her. But her dedication to improve quickly accellerated the learning curve.From throwing the javelin just a few feet as a beginner in eighth grade, she eventually tossed it 160 feet during her high school career and threw it 164.6 feet for a personal best at Duke. That throw was enough for a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.Javelin throwing at the high school level currently exists in only 17 states. When asked why she enjoys a sport that is relatively uncommon, and only a few women do, Streisel said she liked the technicality of the event that is required to master the making of a good throw."You begin with what we call the runway, a five-step approach which includes two crossover steps that get you the momentum to sort of catapult the javelin into the air," she explained. "You have to try to release at eye level and a 45-degree angle so it's not too high or too low. The javelin has to hit the tip first for it to count as a recorded throw."Like baseball pitchers, Streisel says javelin throwers have good days and bad days. Footwork and timing can be off and a thrower can purposely disqualify a throw if during the runway she thinks she can't make a good release."There is a line you can't step over when you make a throw," she said. "Sometimes, we intentionally step over that line because we just know it'll be a poor throw so we don't want it to count."B.J. Linnenbrink, Streisel's throwing coach at Duke, said she has an incredible work ethic and a terrific "feel" for her throws."Christine throws a clean javelin," said Linnenbrink. "It has very little wobble right through to the landing of the point."As her consistency continues to improve, he sees room for improvement."We'd like to teak her runway steps, maybe add one or two more to give her more speed up to her throw," said Linnenbrink.Streisel, who red-shirted as a sophomore because of two elbow surgeries, still has another year of eligibility remaining. An oustanding student who was on the ACC Academic Honor Roll with a 3.6 GPA this past semester, Streisel has already earned her degree at Duke. Next year, she intends to attend graduate school for physical therapy while finishing out her athletic career with the Duke track and field team.Streisel has already set some high goals for her final year on the track.At the top of that list is returning to the NCAA championships and bettering her 18th-place finish from this season."The top eight throwers make it to the podium," she said. "My first goal is to be standing there. My other goal is to throw 170 feet."Like most sports, off-season training is necessary for improvement in the javelin."It's not about the strength of your arm to make a long throw," said Streisel. "You have to use your lower body, especially your hips to make what I call a good sling shot."She strives to succeed at what she calls her obsession - to make the perfect, effortless throw that soars through the air and lands beyond the length of the tape measure.It is the effort to do that - and not always the end result - that makes throwing a javelin fun for her.Based upon her past performances, look for Streisel to do what it takes to earn her a spot on the podium in next year's track and field national championships.