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Shelton-Mason County Journal
ATHLETEOFTHEWEEK
Track senior
sets sights
on record
By EMILY HANSON
emily@masoncounty.con~
Though Roman Hurst
has been a Highclimber for
just two years, the senior
wants to leave his name in
the track and field record
books.
"My
goal is to-
tally to
break the
triple jump
record,"
Hurst
said. "I
only have a
few weeks
Roman left."
Hurst H e a r -
ing Hurst
say this at
a recent track practice, SHS
head track and field coach
Doug Sells called out: "He'll
break it."
He moved to Shelton
from Forks last year after
competing as a varsity track
athlete for two years at the
1A school. Now in his final
year of high school, Hurst
has been competing in track
and field for six total years,
four at the varsity level.
"I was trying a lot of
things (in middle school),"
Hurst said. "I didn't find
my true calling until high
school."
He said his true calling is
the triple jump in track.
"Track's my favorite
sport. I wait all year for it,"
he said. "It lets me focus on
competing against myself
and self improvement."
Though his main event is
the triple jump, Hurst also
competes in the long jump
and the high jump when he
needs to help the team score
points.
Hurst said he hopes to
make it to the 4A State
Track meet this season.
He competed at state once
before, but it was in the
1A division for Forks dur-
ing his sophomore year. At
that meet, held in Pullman,
Hurst took fifth place in the
triple jump.
He said the transition
from Forks to Shelton was
fun and that he likes this
school district better.
"There's a lot more compe-
tition and there're a lot more
opportunities for me," Hurst
said. "Forks was holding me
back. Through academics I
couldn't facilitate my needs.
I felt like there was a cap on
what I could learn."
Being a student at Shel-
ton High School has already
helped Hurst expand what
he's able to learn. The 3.8
GPA student is enrolled in
Running Start for lab sci-
ences at Olympic College
and at SHS he is taking cal-
culus, honors physics and
honors choir.
He has also received a
full ride academic and fi-
nancial needs-based schol-
arship to the University of
Washington.
"I might continue jump-
ing while I'm there," HurSt
said. "I'll see if I can walk
onto the team."
With a grin on his face,
Hurst said he really enjoys
choir.
"I like working together
with a team of other people
who like singing and feeling
my importance of being in
an ensemble," he said.
His favorite song to sing
is "Omnia Sol,"
"We sing it every year at
the graduation ceremony,"
Hurst said. "It's going to be
surreal this year and really
See Athlete on page C-6
Shelton senior Kandyce Bragg, left, receives
relay at the Shelton Invite on Saturday. The
the baton handoff from sophomore Madisen Striplin
Shelton relay team took 14th with a time of 52.47.
Journal photos by Emily
during the 400
Hanson
Shelton senior Nathan Morgan runs his
last lap in the mile. Morgan took fifth in
event with a time of 4:30.01.
the
By EMILY HANSON
The 52ud annual Shelton Invitational
went off without a hitch with more than
65 schools in attendance last week.
On Saturday, 600 athletes competed in
the day-long meet at Highclimber Field.
"The Shelton Invite on Saturday was
an outstanding meet," SHS head track and
field coach Doug Sells said. "The weather
was beautiful and the times were even
better in'the runnings events. Saturday
produced some of the best times and dis-
tances in the state in many events. We had
more than 65 schools enter the meet with
600 athletes competing. Shelton held on to
its reputation of being one of the top track
meets in the state of Washington."
Shelton entered 12 athletes into the in-
vite and of those 12, four came out with a
top eight placing and senior Roman Hurst
won the triple jump.
"It's a big deal for a Shelton athlete just
to make it into the meet but a rare occur-
ance to have a first-place winner," Sells
said.
Hurst jumped a personal record dis-
tance of 43'4" for first place.
The other Shelton placers were sopho-
more Cody Williamson, senior Indi Endi-
cott and senior Lolly Jones.
Williamson took seventh in the 3200
meter with a personal record time of
9:34.39. Endicott took fourth in the pole
vault with a personal record 13' clearance
and Jones took fifth in the discus with a
personal record distance of 106'2".
"We also had a freshman/sophomore di-
vision in the shot put," Sells said. "Fresh-
man Michael Paulson had a great day with
a 39'9" throw for fifth place and sophomore
Elizabeth Brandenburg won the frosh/
soph division with a 31'5" throw. Bran-
denb~rg also kicked off the meet by sing-
ing the national anthem for us. She did a
great job."
Athletes from around the state set new
leading times in events at the Shelton In-
vite as well.
"Isaiah Brandt-Sims of Wenatchee set a
state leading time of 10.77 seconds in the
100 meter dash," Sells said. "Steilacoom
junior Daniel Zmuda set a state leading
time in the 300 meter hurdles and also
won the 110 meter hurdles. Heis the state
leader in that event also."
Prior to the Shelton Invite, on April 25,
the Highclimbers competed at Bellarmine
against Bellarmine and Stadium.
"There were a few events at the Bel-
larmine meet that did not conclude due
to thunder and lightning, therefore, team
scores were not compiled," Sells said. "If
the meet would have concluded, the Shel-
ton teams would have both gotten first
place finishes."
He said junior Ralph Kinne had a great
day in the shot put, breaking the 40' bar-
rier and winning the event.
"Senior Kandyce Bragg also had a great
day, winning the 200 meter in a personal
record time of 27.36 seconds," Sells said.
See Track on page C-4
em c requ rem
hop "We have a number of kids who proximately 40 percent of our
School es change will arecreditdeficientandmaydrop lOththrough12thgradestudents
t out of the athletic program or the participated in athletics this year.
~ru~--,,--+~;--" studen s school/' Judson said. "We want to How many more students could
encourage
keep the light of hope as bright benefit from our athletic pro-
as possible. If the students know grams?"
By EMILY HANSON the 850 members schools in the they can fail one class, they may Lacy said he and several oth-
end[y@rna.~onco~zn(v.co:~ WIAA," WIAA executive director stick with sports." er coaches have fought for this
Mike Colbrese said. "The stan- Judson said that it has been change for the past few years be:
dards changed five years ago from proven multiple times that stu- cause it seemed students were not
Athletes at Shelton High having to pass four of six classes dents who are involved in athlet- being properly served.
School will be held to a different for six-period a day schools. They ics perform better in school."Eligibility's original inten-
set of academic requirements next were changed because 85 percent "Some may say this is lowering tion was to hold athletes to an
year. of the schools in the association our standard but our belief is that acceptable academic standard,"
The high school, on the advice weremore stringent." by aligning with the WIAA, weLacy said. "Very few struggling
of an advisory committee, recently Judson said the rationale be-will increase the academic peribr- students view eligibility as ~n in-
lowered the requirements to meet hind the change is two-fold, mance and keep kids in athletics," centive to improve their grades.
those of the Washington Inter- "First, kids in the athletic pro- he said. "We think it'll lead to the Today's reality is that eligibility
scholastic Athletic Association gram that choosh to take the chal- 80 percent graduation rate." is simply a barricade to participa-
(WIAA) rather than exceed it. lenge of more stringent subjects Judson said the coaches of tion for many students."
Shelton athletic director Jim can have a little room for failure," SHS support the new academic Colbrese agreed, stating that
Judson said that for the past few he said. "The idea is that kids may requirements, the concern of too rigid academic
years, athletes have been required shy away from taking more rigor- Chris Lacy, head wrestling requirements is that they would
to pass all classes while also main- ous classes if they know they can't coach and a member of the coach- exclude a lot of the students
taining a minimum 2.0 Grade fail a class. Now, kids can take es union, was on the advisorywhich schools are trying to keep
Point Average (GPA). The WIAA that risk. The goal of any school committee and also helped to ar- included.
requires athletes in six-period a district is for the kids to take more gue the point with the Shelton "It's a delicate balance between
day schools, such as Shelton, to challenging classes." School Board. inspiring and motivating students
pass five of the six classes. There The second reason for the "The immediate purpose is without putting a stumbling block
is no minimum GPA requirement change, Judson said, is to help the not to help athletic programs, in the way," Colbrese said.
in the WIAA regulations, school reach its graduation goal of but to help our students that do
"The rules are developed by 80 percent or higher, not participate," Lacy said. "Ap-
See Academics on page C-6
Shelton-Mason County lourna) - Thursday, May 3, 2012 - Page C-1