B.J. Ketchem still has his third-grade report card hung above his master's degree on a wall in his office.

Ketchem, a Butler native, was a poor student growing up. However, guidance and hard work propelled him from D's to a gold medal at this year's World Masters Highlands Games Championships in Iceland.

“(The report card) is a reminder that things can go in the right direction,” Ketchem said.

Ketchem, 40, is an assistant principal at an elementary school in Alexandria, Va., and competes around the world in various Highlands Games events, which feature throwing competitions.

Before the hammer throws and stone heaving, Ketchem was a kid growing up on the west side of Butler.

His friend encouraged him to join the Butler Middle School track and field team, which was coached by current Butler High School boys track and field coach Rick Schontz.

Ketchem was undersized, and initially struggled with the shot put. Schontz not only kept him from quitting, but also helped him improve.

“Rick was the first coach and teacher that I really felt like he cared about me as a person,” Ketchem said. “My other coaches did, but it was the first time that I actually clicked with somebody that I was like, 'This person is there to help me.'”

Schontz coached Ketchem in shot put all the way to the Keystone State Games, and by the time he entered his freshman year at Butler High School, he was well versed in the sport.

Schontz found it easy to take a vested interest in Ketchem.

“B.J. has just a really likable personality,” Schontz said. “He worked really hard, he wanted to learn and he was just so easy to coach and motivate.”

Ketchem's grades, however, still suffered. His grade-point average after a semester in his freshman year was .8.

Schontz took notice, and told Ketchem that if he wanted to compete in college, he'd need to improve his grades.

“He showed me the relationship between the two,” Ketchem said. “(He said), 'If you want to keep doing it, you have to be eligible.'”

From that point on, Ketchem focused on improving not only his grades, but himself. He became a Christian, and improved his school work.

He called these developments “a perfect storm” for improvement. Meanwhile, his track and field career was skyrocketing.

Ketchem medaled at the WPIAL Championships as a junior and senior, and qualified for the state finals in the discus throw as a junior.

His throwing prowess afforded him interest from colleges, but only a few stayed interested after seeing his grades.

“Even though I turned it around, it was such a hole to get out of,” Ketchem said.

He attended Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and competed in track and field, but the distance from home, as well as an injury, led him to transfer to Butler County Community College.

He eventually graduated from Slippery Rock University in 2000. During Ketchem's schooling, Schontz helped get him into the coaching world.

Ketchem coached at Slippery Rock High School, and after earning his degree, moved to Alexandria, Va., where he coached at T.C. Williams High School, the school that inspired the 2000 film “Remember the Titans.”

Ketchem enjoyed coaching, but stopped after he got married. He found a way to continue his passion for throwing with the Highlands Games.

The games feature a variety of events that measure strength through throwing competition.

These include throwing 22-pound hammers, heavy stones, and the caber, which resembles a telephone pole and is between 15-to-22-feet long.

Weight is not only thrown for length, but also for height.

Ketchem called the games “a great melting pot” of former track and field athletes, power lifters and football players.

“Sports kind of collide at that place,” he said.

Even with all those competitive athletes, Ketchem called the games' atmosphere “familial.”

“Everybody is trying to push each other, but it's not to the point that people are trying to intimidate each other,” he said.

The games require intense strength training, as well as practice of technique. Ketchem does lower- and upper-body lifting and throwing exercises, and also incorporates jumping into his workout.

“You definitely have to have a strong foundation of strength,” he said.

Ketchem, at 5-foot-6 and 195 pounds, competes in the lightweight division. He has fought through injuries such as a groin tear and a torn rotator cuff — which resulted in a shoulder replacement — to compete in the games.

During his recuperation from the shoulder surgery, Ketchem found a way to keep competing.

“I taught myself how to throw left-handed, because I knew I wasn't going to quit,” he said. “It was awesome. It was a great learning experience.”

Ketchem's hard work has paid off. He took fifth overall in the lightweight class, and won a gold medal in the weight for height division at this year's World Masters in Iceland.

He also runs Forged Athletics, which holds throwing clinics and trains throwers in shot put, discus, javelin and Highlands Games events.

Schontz is proud of how far Ketchem has come.

“It's really nice to see him on Facebook, and in the Highland Games statistics,” he said. “It's very satisfying. “I'm happy for B.J. He's a great person, a great worker.”