Joe Rizzi has previously served as the emergency manager for the city of Eugene, Oregon and the director of Emergency Management for Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon. As a member of the track and field squad in high school, Joe Rizzi threw the discus.
The discus event involves a male or female athlete throwing a metal disc (men two kg and 22 cm; women one kg and 18 cm) as far they can without leaving a circle that is two-and-a-half meters in diameter.
The distance of the throw is measured from the back half of the circle, provided that the discus lands within the boundaries and the thrower has not stepped outside the circle prior to the discus reaching the ground.
A discus throw usually involves one-and-a-half spins before being released, and the competitor is allowed to make between four and six attempts during a meet. First prize goes to the thrower with the longest single throw, but if there is a tie, the second-longest throw will decide the winner.
