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When
it comes to the making of a great athlete, prep or otherwise, there is
no set mold. Athletes can come from different backgrounds, as well as
from all walks of life, and it is their drive for success and their
abili
Havre High's Mason Case competes in the 200 meters in a recent track meet in Havre. Case has become one of the top sprinters in Montana in just two years on the Blue Pony track and field team.
ty to compete at such a high level that makes sports as interesting
as they are.
Over the last two years on the Hi-Line, when the name Mason Case is mentioned, the term 'blazing speed' comes to mind. Case
has been a Havre High Blue Pony for the majority of the last four
years. But it wasn't until last year, his junior year, in which Case
burst onto the track and field scene and the Case name started to appear
in newspaper headlines all over the state.
Now
in his senior season, with the Central A divisional meet, and the Class
A state meet just around the corner, Case has already accomplished more
than he had ever expected when some friends talked him into giving the
sport a try in the first place.
"I
had friends that wanted me to come out for track, so did," Case said.
"I was actually going to try throwing when I first came out, but found
out I didn't really like it. But I have always been interested in
running, so I decided to try that too. I had no idea I was that fast, I
never really ran for fun."
Luckily for the Blue Ponies, Case gave running a try as well.A
year ago, Case was a great 100-meter and 200-meter sprinter. This year
however, Case is one of the top 100 and 200-meter sprinters in the
state, in any class. Case's time of 10.98 in the 100 has him as the No. 5
sprinter right now, while continually running in the low 22 to
23-second rang in the 200, also has him amongst the best in the state.
Case has also recently become a member of the short relay team, as well
as taken on the 400 meters, boosting the Pony squad even more with his
athleticism.
Last
year Case suffered a severe Hamstring injury at the state meet, giving
him a seventh place finish in the 200, and forcing him out of the 100
completely. Nobody was more disappointed than Case himself.
"It
upset me," Case said. "I was really upset actually. But I realized that
it was my junior year and I still had one more year to compete. That
really forced me to want to get better, so I have been striving for that
since then.
"But
now I have expectations," Case added, referring to knowing more about
his abilities in his second season. "I have to try my best and I have to
keep my expectations high. I love this stuff, and I love winning, and I
realize I won't always win, but I still have to try my best and keep
running hard."
This
year, Case set the goal of placing at the state meet, and hopefully
winning the 200. But he also knows that if he runs his best, he has the
ability to win the 200 and 100, as well as maybe even find his way to
the podium in the 400.
But Case has already accomplished a lot on and off the track in his short career. Case
used his senior year at Havre High to bump his GPA, and has already
been accepted to the University of Montana in Missoula. Case plans to
study Sociology or Criminal Justice, but also plans to walk on for the
Grizzly track team, and see where his legs can take him at the
collegiate level.
Case's
focus will be his education, but if he could turn some heads and garner
some attention for his running, that would just be a bonus. Case never
planed on becoming a track star, especially with the unique situation he
has found himself in since the age of 16.
Case
has lived on his own since he turned 16, supporting himself with a
steady job, as well as making sure his education doesn't slip. It was
being on his own that kept him from attempting to play sports to begin
with, but once he got it figured out, and realized he was able to juggle
things the way he has, track has carried Case a long way.
"I
have never had money at all," Case said. "I came from low income
family, so I am just trying to do this all on my own. I moved out when I
was 16, so I have been trying to focus on working, school and sports,
and trying to do my best. Sometimes it holds me back, like lately
because I have had to work a lot, but I always just try my best. I
actually get stressed quite a bit. I always worry that when I move I
won't do as well, I will be in a new city and going to college.
"But
I just hate to think that if I lose I didn't push myself," Case added.
"I could probably blame it on work or something, but I try my best and I
guess that is all I can do. I have to do what I have to do."
For
Case to succeed the remainder of this season, as well as at the next
level, he knows there is some technique he can improve upon. His times
are already amongst the best, but he struggles coming out of the blocks.
He is normally one of the slowest out of the blocks, but has the speed
and ability to catch and pass the completion by the finish line. If he
can clean up and speed up his starts, there is no telling where Case
could end up.
"They
don't really recruit that many sprinters," Case said. "And my times are
actually just as good, sometimes even a little better than the
sprinters they have now. So I guess I am just going to try sprinting
there and see how I do at the college level. I have the capability to
succeed, I just have to keep practicing and get ready."
Case
will finish his prep career with the divisional meet this weekend in
Havre and hopefully with a couple of top places at the state meet on May
25-26 in Bozeman.
And whatever happens in his last two track meets of his prep career, Case has already won.
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