Colstrip junior Jamie Whitedirt is hoping the final weekend of the Class B track and field season is her best.
Whitedirt is the classification’s top shot put thrower and is No. 2 in the discus, seeing the benefits of her hard work in the offseason.
“I did work really hard for this spot, so I kind of figured. But I know there’s always going to be someone else, so that drives me to be good," said Whitedirt.
That someone else, for a large chunk of the year, has been her freshman teammate Talen Rogers. Rogers currently sits third in Class B in the shot put and has been a welcome addition to Colstrip’s group of throwers.
“They challenge each other, they watch each other, they work with each other," Colstrip throws coach Anthony Howell said. "I think it’s been great for (Rogers) to learn from Jamie’s experience, just from how you warm up, to how you go about practice to what you do in the weight room. It’s been great to have both.”
“She pushes me because when I see her throw, it makes me want to drive a little more. I also help her a lot, too, so we push each other back and forth," Whitedirt said.
That friendly competition has helped put Whitedirt within striking distance of the State B record in both the shot put and discus. Whitedirt's best toss in the shot put is 43 feet, 6.75 inches, while the State B record is 46-02.25. Her best discus throw of 130-03 isn't far off the State B record of 137-10. Both the shot put and discus records were set in 1993 by Plains' Larry Jo Christensen.
“(Whitedirt), she’s a hard worker. Whether it be for a state championship, state record or school record, I think those things are important, but she’s a natural hard worker and wants to improve her craft regardless of the reasons why," Howell said.
Whether those records fall in Laurel this weekend or not, there doesn’t appear to be a limit on Whitedirt’s potential.
The State B track and field meet kicks off in Laurel on Friday. Whitedirt will throw discus on Friday and shot put on Saturday.
