Ari Carter didn’t have much of a choice, really.
Dixie Heights’ sophomore goes for her second consecutive girls Class 3A discus state title Saturday at the University of Kentucky.
It’s an option she enjoys.
“I’ve been throwing since eighth grade,” Carter said.
A win in Lexington would be Carter’s third consecutive state trophy; she took the middle school title in 2023 as an eighth-grader at Turkey Foot Middle School.
Carter has had a successful 2025: a No. 2 spot in the ky.milesplit.com Class 3A rankings, a personal-record 124-feet, 6-inch toss at the Dixie Invite on May 6, four throws of 120 feet or farther four times, nine wins, including the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division I and the Class 3A, Region 5 on May 21.
What is most satisfying, Carter is a member of an elite throwing trio. Her mom, Simon Kenton alumna Patsy Funke, won the state title in 1998, and her uncle, Steve Funke, started the tradition for the Pioneers in 1991.
“Ari is probably the most talented of all of us,” Steve Funke said.
“It’s so nice to watch my daughters carry on something that was very enjoyable for myself,” Patsy Funke added. (Older daughter Alivia threw discus and now helps coach.)
It took Patsy Funke three tries to win her state title – she placed fourth in 1996 and 1997 – while Steve did it in his only season on the team. Patsy said Steve never teased her about needing three seasons.
“He was actually very encouraging,” Patsy said. “We had a brother in between that also went to state but didn’t quite win.”
According to Patsy, Steve, who also played football, hadn’t thought much about discus.
“From what I remember, he just picked it up and jokingly threw it one day,” she said. “And (coaches) were, like, you might be pretty good at this. He did a lot of self-teaching, asking other coaches, a lot of studying up on it.”
Carter’s family lives on a farm in Kenton County along the Licking River near DeMossville, an unincorporated town in Pendleton County. Tossing hay bales is not only one of the daily chores – it’s good training for throwing the discus.
“My brother and I used to joke, we kind of were naturals at it because we were farmers, and threw a lot of hay bales,” Patsy Funke said.
Steve Funke said the mechanics of throwing a bale to someone on the stack is a lot like tossing the discus; he said all his siblings could do it.
“I have six sisters,” he said. “Three of them were homecoming queens, and they could throw a bale of hay farther than the captain of the football team.”
Carter called the first time she threw a bale “not that great.”
“I could barely pick ‘em up with two hands right now,” she said. “I just now got to the point where I can pick it up with one hand.”
Carter won the regional with a 121-8 throw – a challenge because she fouled twice.
“Going into (the regional), my balance is feeling very off,” she said. “Every time I’d go to do my throw, I’d feel like I was falling over, and my balance just wasn’t good.”
Carter finished third in the regional shot put (a 34-0), and she set a PR last month with a 34-9. She’d like to throw the discus at least 130 feet, but she is content with whatever happens.
“I’m happy with where I’m at,” she said.