It's smooth, precise and it's a big reason why there wasn't another shot-putter within 4 feet of him at the 2012 Eastern High School Challenge, an indoor track meet held at the Eddie Smith Field house at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Beyle's first throw went about 49 feet - a good throw for almost everyone else there. But the state's No. 1 shot-putter followed it up with a personal-best 55 foot throw.

"Technique is huge," Beyle said. "There are some bigger guys out there...but I'm just tall and my technique is really what gets me there."

Beyle was by far the best in the circle, and it translated to how he threw. Only four shot-putters launched their shots more than 50 feet and Beyle was the only one to exceed 52 feet.

Impressive, especially for someone who was called "skinny kid" at the 2011 state championship meet.

And Beyle wasn't the only East Chapel Hill indoor track athlete to impress at the Eastern HS Challenge. Long-distance runner Sam Miner finished third in the 3,200 meter race and fifth in the 1,600 meters.

"I had a little idea of what I wanted to run," he said. "I'm still base-training and doing a lot of strength work, and I just wanted to see what I pull in both of them."

Miner ran the mile in 4:28.045, nine seconds off the lead and finished ten seconds behind first-place in the 3,200 meter.

In both races Miner made a late push in the last 50 meters to move up a spot. The place he finished in was never Miner's highest concern. He said more than anything he just wanted to shake the rust off.

Couldn't have been much rust in the first place.

"My big goals are in outdoor track season, so I'm using indoor more to see what I can do," Miner said. "I'm probably going to run the indoor state meet in the mile and two-mile and see where I run in that and what I can work on.

"It's kind of a good judge."

For many high school track programs, that's exactly what indoor track season is about - a judge or measuring stick before outdoor season.

That's still where East Chapel Hill High School is at under head coach Steve Marquis.

Marquis said he's upped the intensity each year, and with a group of young, talented runners, Marquis thinks East Chapel Hill will start training for the indoor season as opposed to using it as part of training.

Beyle and Miner are both juniors, as are a number of other track and field athletes at East Chapel Hill High School.

"I think we're at that point where we're ready to make that next jump, and then with the indoor track being built in Winston (Salem) and then this, there's also more opportunity," Marquis said. "For the first time next year we'll probably really do it more."

That's not to say everyone at East Chapel Hill uses events like the Eastern HS Challenge as a measuring stick. Some want to qualify for the state indoor championships. Thirteen runners from East Chapel Hill competed in the meet.

One of them, Matt Fordham, was running for the first time since recovering from a stress fracture, and he finished the 1,000 meters in 2:46.13 for 25th place. Will Krakow (2:48.01) was 35th.

Fordham also was 28th in the 1,600 with a time of 4:45.79.

Zac Cyr-Scully, Sarah Fulcher, Cody Hawkins, Jesse Mechanic, Sara Owre, Matt Ruston, Emily Shermanski, Eleanor Spencer, and Graham Stopa all entered at least one event for East Chapel Hill.

Ethan Smith had Cedar Ridge's best finish with his 14 feet, 2 inches for second place in the pole vault.

East Chapel Hill's males ended up in eighth place out of 46 teams in the final standings, with 18 points. Knightdale and Raleigh Enloe tied for first with 34 apiece. Burlington Cumming and Southeast Guilford each had 26 to tie for third, followed in the top 10 by Fuquay Varina (22), Pfafftown Reagan (21), Kellam (20), East Chapel Hill (18), Raleigh Broughton (17) and Virginia Beach Princess Anne, Va. (16).

Durham Jordan, with 37 points, edged Green Hope (35) in the 36-team girls' standings.