Mount Pulaski’s Cassidy Clark headed to Junior Olympics in discus and shot put

[July 10, 2017]  Cassidy Clark of Mount Pulaski Grade School is on her way to the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympics. Junior Olympics is an annual event held by USATF for qualifying athletes ages eight to 18.

Competing in the 13-14 year old Girls Division in the Illinois Junior Olympics Qualifier on June 24 in Bourbonnais, Clark finished 5th in the Discus with a personal record throw of 94'1" and 2nd in the Shot Put with a throw of 32’7”.

Those marks qualified Clark for the USATF Region 7 Championship comprised of the top finishers from qualification meets in Illinois and Indiana. At that event in Dekalb on July 8, Clark finished 4th in the Discus with a throw of 93’7” and 3rd in the Shot Put with an effort of 31’7”.

By finishing in the top five in Region 7, Clark qualified for the USATF National Junior Olympics to be held at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas on July 29-30.

Clark’s first experience with the Discus and Shot Put was in March of this Spring as a member of the 7th Grade Mount Pulaski Grade School team. In May, she finished in 10th Place in the Discus at the IESA Track & Field Championship with an effort of 77’9”.

Clark credits her quickly improving marks to the tutelage of eight-time IHSA State Champion K.D. Young and her father Brett, both of Warrensburg-Latham; and Clark’s current coach, Lia Tulua, former University of Illinois Track and Field standout.

Clark, who just picked up the Shotput and Discus Throw during the spring track season at Mount Pulaski Grade School, said thirteen is a good age to start competing in these field events.

“It’s a good age to start because the older you are and the longer you do it, it’s harder to get rid of bad habits,” said Clark, adding, “Coach Tulua tells me all the time that many girls my age don’t think it’s a big deal, but it completely is because this is the time that you need to create good habits that will help you go farther. Coach Tulua is an amazing coach. I am excited to see how far I’ll go."

[Text received from the Clark family]