Walking through upstairs B-Wing of Cherry Hill East in 1970, Jeffrey Bramnick (‘72) would have never have guessed that a simple idea proposed by the head track coach, Mr. Tony Sipp, would be integral in his future. He was asked to throw a javelin.

According to Bramnick, who was the football team’s quarterback, he asked Sipp “Is that the spear thing?”

This was going to be Bramnick’s first time throwing something other than a football. Luckily, he was a natural: by the third to fourth week of this spring track season, Bramnick had already set a school record.
His love for javelin only grew, and he was eventually recruited to Northeastern University.

Over the course of his college experience at Northeastern, Bramnick never gave up his passion for the javelin, despite his wavering interests in his major. From studying philosophy and transferring into journalism and creative non-fiction poetry, Bramnick not only felt a calling for the javelin but also for writing.

His senior year of college came along; during the first meet of his final track season, he severely injured himself, tearing his ulnar nerve. After the nerve was surgically relocated, he was warned by the surgeon that he would be retiring from his track career, but this was not the end.

While recovering, he volunteered as a coach, committing to help students once or twice a week at his Alma Mater, Cherry Hill High School East. After graduating from Northeastern, Bramnick landed a job at the Courier-Post and worked there while continuing to voluntarily coach for East on and off for years until 2012.

Due to Bramnick’s great reputation with the javelin and help with East track seasons throughout the years, the athletics director at the time, Mr. Robert Humme, thought of him very highly. Humme instructed Mr. Anthony Maniscalco, the current head track coach, to contact Bramnick. After meeting Maniscalco, Bramnick was hired as the Assistant Winter and Spring Track coach.
Bramnick did not take his commitment to student-athletes lightly. Because Bramnick took on substituting classes in the building, he would ask the East English teachers about the vocabulary lists they had been teaching and would integrate these words into track practice.

He wants to get the students “engaged.” Incorporating his love for writing, throwing and human interaction, he continues to instill knowledge beyond teaching the basics and techniques of the javelin.

“If all you got from me is throwing a javelin further, then you’re not getting enough,” he said. He wants his athletes to know the importance of words and education, as well as javelin and track.

Years later Bramnick still relies on the basics and techniques of javelin, taught to him by Sipp. However, he has developed his own technique of teaching these factors.

First, he tries to increase the throwers’ overall athletic ability, focusing on improving their speed, agility and endurance. Then, he helps them understand where the power comes from by teaching them body mechanics. This is the chain reaction of receiving the power from the ground transferring it into your feet, hips, shoulders, then arms, while finishing off the throw with the maximum amount of power.

The results of his perfected teaching technique show significantly in Robby Fleischer (‘20). He began throwing this year, starting off his career by throwing 75 feet. Ten weeks later, with still not a lot of experience, he threw 159.7 feet.

“He made a big difference, and a lot of people noticed it,” said Bramnick. Not only did Braminck help Fleischer improve drastically as a javelin thrower, but he was the one who initially guided him into making his decision to partake in the javelin.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do in track, but with his guidance, I realized my calling was the javelin,” said Fleischer. This parallels Bramnick’s own experience back in 1970 — where it all started.