Skogen sets his sights beyond Ronan discus record

Zach Urness

Leader Staff

Alan Skogen has what some might consider a strange habit. Instead of using his free time during the school day to chat with friends or daydream about summer vacation, he stands in place and begins spinning in circles.

You see, while Skogen’s body may be contained in the classroom, his mind is already out on the practice field, mentally whirling into a twisted mass of power and preparing to launch a nearly five pound disc farther then anybody in the history of Ronan High School.

“I guess its kind of a funny thing to do in the middle of class and everybody makes fun of me,” says Skogen about to his unusual training method. “But it’s just something I’ve really fallen in love with.”

And that love has translated itself into quite a season thus far. After taking third place at last year’s state tournament, he returned ever stronger, winning first place at the Bigfork Invitational, Kalispell time trials and the Seeley-Swan Invitational. He took first at the Polson Invite Tuesday afternoon.

But it was at a small four-team meet in Frenchtown that Skogen really got people’s attention. With a toss of 163 feet and five inches he rewrote the record books at Ronan, shattering Scott Bockman’s 29-year-old discus record of 158’ 10” by nearly five feet. He broke his own record the following week with a 164 foot, 11 inch toss in Kalispell — currently the top class A mark in the state and the third best overall.

“Everyday on my way to the band room I walk through the lobby with all the great Ronan athletes up on the wall,” said Skogen. “Just seeing Bockman’s record up there everyday was a reminder of the record I wanted to break. I guess it feels a little surreal to have actually done it.”

But like so many great athletes, Skogen’s success was not born of an overwhelming natural ability; in fact, it was a few inches of failure that would provide the inspiration to push him to the top.

“I missed state by four inches my freshmen year,” he explained. “That really made me want to work harder — just knowing that I was almost there — it really got me motivated.”

That motivation morphed itself into a regimen of annual summer workouts. And immediately following his freshman year, he started lifting weights and working closely with current Ronan athletic director Aaron Griffin.

The work paid off, and Skogen made it to state his sophomore year. But after a difficult time at the state tournament left a bitter taste in his mouth, Skogen began working even harder.

“The nerves really got to me at state,” he said. “I just wasn’t comfortable and I threw almost 10 feet short of where I did the week before.”

To make sure he would never feel overwhelmed again, he decided to attend his first camp for track and field athletes.

“I had never thrown with anyone with an intricate knowledge of the technique,” Skogen noted of the coaches at the camp. “It was a big deal for me.”

With a greater knowledge of his sport, Skogen began his junior year with a greater confidence, a confidence that translated into a third place finish at state.

But anyone who knows Skogen — the current student body president at Ronan and the holder of a 3.8 GPA — knows that third place just isn’t good enough.

And so, as most of his classmates celebrated the summer before their senior year with lazy days on the lake and summer jobs, Skogen attended three different specialized camps, including one in Spokane reputed as one of the best in the nation.

“The camp in Spokane was amazing,” said Skogen. “It’s the best training you can get. They have top throwers from all over the nation and even some former Olympians.”

The hard work has not only paid off in terms of broken records and first place finishes, but also in respect from his teammates and coaches.

“Alan is a great example to the other kids of what hard work and dedication to something can get you,” said Ronan boys track and field coach Noelle Decker. “He is just a great kid who shows patience and leadership with the underclassmen.”

With that type of dedication to discus, one of the most surprising things about Skogen is that he also played football, and is involved with the speech and drama club, student government, jazz band, National Honor Society and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

After graduation, Skogen is planning to attend Montana State in Bozeman to study engineering and, of course, to throw discus.

“They have a great tradition of throwers,” he noted.

And while the future and college awaits, there is plenty of season left and one more goal to be achieved.

“I am hoping to hit around 170 to 175 feet and win the state championship,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working for.”

So if you happen to see Skogen pirouetting down the hallways of Ronan High school, kindly step to the side as he visualizes breaking yet another school record.

“I don’t know how long it will be there,” he said of the record. “But its neat to know that it’s the best throw in school history.”