Plains endures soggy, 'rough' conditions at A.R.M. Invite
The Plains boys and girls track teams endured treacherous weather conditions at the A.R.M. Invitational Saturday at Whitefish High School.
“We didn’t have the best day on the track because our athletes didn’t handle the conditions and they weren’t very good conditions,” Horsemen and Trotters coach Denise Montgomery said. “It was very wet and very soggy even though it wasn’t particularly cold.”
Once again, the track and field team had several personal records in the meet that consisted of teams from Class AA through C.
Sophomore Rusty Stuart, a junior varsity participant, had several personal records, according to Horsemen coach Montgomery.
Stuart finished first with a personal record in the shot put, throwing a distance of 38 feet, 10 inches at the junior varsity level. He also captured first in discus by setting another personal record with a throw of 107 feet, 7 1/2 inches.
“He competed very well and is one of those guys that is in his first year throwing for us,” Montgomery said. “He’s a very athletic kid and one of those kids that I don’t think really knows his potential. He competes in football and basketball. Track is going to be one of those sports I think he will see a lot of success in if he stays with it because he is a very strong athletic kid. He’s a pretty quick kid and he’s also a big 6-foot and pretty thick. I think individually he’s going to be seeing some success. I think he is able to help those teams like football and basketball and we are hoping he shines in track for us.”
Montgomery said she is “hoping he can stick with track.”
“The freshman and sophomore boys on our team need to be patient,” Montgomery said. “Boys seem to peak later and girls peak earlier because of their development. We have some promising athletes at the JV level.”
Daniel Uli, like Stuart, is another junior varsity athlete that overcame the unfavorable conditions to turn in a personal record in the 1,600-meter relay. Uli ran 5 minutes, 42.69 seconds in the 1,600. Uli also captured fourth in the junior varsity 400-meter relay with teammates Malachi Paulsen, Wiley Scribner and Nathan McNulty, recording a time of 53.53 seconds.
Paulsen excelled in the javelin, launching a personal record at 125 feet, 5 inches, competing at the varsity level.
“He just needs to stay patient and excel in that one event,” Montgomery said. “He competed well in the four-by-one relay and we are still working on jumping. It just helps the team that someone is strong enough and talented enough to perform in five events.”
Montgomery said she felt another freshman that is excelling is Scribner. Scribner had a personal record in the 800-meters with a time of 2 minutes, 52.11 seconds and the 1,600-meters with a time of 6 minutes, 9 seconds.
“Scribner keeps doing well for us and he’s only a freshman,” Montgomery said. “He’s been able to handle the pressure of moving up to the high school level and pushes himself to keep improving.”
Montgomery said she felt her teams may have been “intimidated” by the magnitude of the event.
“I think for some of the kids it’s intimidating,” Montgomery said. “Most of our team is young and it can be intimidating. You have to have the mindset and compete with their level because you are competing with other teams’ best times, throws or jumps. You just have to keep them thinking positive, get them to their event, and don’t let their nerves take over their performances.”
Trotters individuals shine at A.R.M.
The Plains girls track team overcame the conditions to turn in some solid individual performances, according to Montgomery.
Analisa Loberg finished 8th in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 5 minutes, 55.76 seconds and also notched a personal record with a fourth place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.34.
“She had a good day freezing and her feet were very wet. She didn’t have too bad of wind and she keeps improving which is nice.”
Trotters, Horsemen medically cleared
Lily Huenink and Charlie Rehbein have both been medically cleared to start participating in track and field events.
Huenink, who tore her patellar tendon during basketball, is medically cleared to start training.
Rehbein, who was involved in a snowmobile accident when he broke his foot after tipping his sled, has also started training.
“They’ve been medically cleared but we are not going to use them until later in the season,” Montgomery said. “We want them to heal properly as young they are.”
Montgomery said they’ve added support to the track team this season.
“They’ve been on the team and adding positive support,” Montgomery said. “They really help the team dynamics and pitch in, and are super helpful.”