Rohde shooting for the Gold Medal in senior season for S-E-M

Sumner - The shot put and discus. To be good at it, it requires more than just brute strength, but the ability to master the technique that goes along with it.

Through practice and determination, Carson Rohde of Sumner-Eddyville-Miller has done this better than anybody else in Class D and finds himself with an opportunity to possibly take home some gold’s and break school records in the shot put and discus events.

“Some of my first goals are to break the school record in both the shot put and the discus,” Rohde said. “I also want to get back to state and maybe come home with a gold in the discus and shot put.”

Those goals are not out of reach after finishing sixth in Class D in the shot put with a throw of 47-10 and second in the discus with a throw of 14608 in 2019 as a sophomore. What’s more impressive about this feat is the fact it was his first time at State in Track and Field.

He attributes his growth in the shot put to his friends and mentors Riley Racicky and Schuyler Brown who were seniors and fellow competitors of Rohde when he was a sophomore. They showed him what it takes to excel, and he looks to put it to good use this year as he gets ready to chase two gold medals.

“Two guys who helped me a lot in the shot put were Riley Racicky and Shuyler Brown,” Rohde said. “They were seniors when I was a sophomore and they taught me a lot. I would go down to Overton on a Saturday and Brown would help me with my throwing. I ended up passing him that year in the shot put and I was really proud of that.”

Looking at the competitors from the discus and shot put events from the Class D State Track Meet in 2019, Rohde is the highest returning finisher. When asked if that puts pressure on him to perform a certain way this season, Rohde stated it’s not so much pressure as it is a motivator to succeed.

“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure as much it is a motivator,” Rohde said. “Knowing where I stand heading into this year makes me push myself even harder, to be even farther out ahead than everybody else is.”

Getting past all the expectations coming into this year, Rohde is more excited than anything to just have the opportunity to compete again after losing last year to COVID-19. The sport has brought him multiple friends and competitors, and he looks forward to once again competing against them.

“I’m just excited to get back out there and throw,” Rohde said. “I am also looking forward to being able to compete against some of the guys I’m good friends with.”

When it comes to plans after high school, Rohde is looking to either play football or compete in track and field in college. He wants to either go to Concordia University or the University of Nebraska-Kearney.