Sam Stoner, Sports Editor
@sstonercourant
When most people think of NCHS track and field, they think of running through Waveny or sprinting around the track. However, for senior Claire Conley, this is quite the opposite of her daily routine. This past winter, Claire decided to try out shot put for the first time ever. In her rookie season, she broke the school record with a personal record of 38 feet. And she didn’t stop there, as that was just the first of her many achievements this season.
Claire’s numerous accomplishments include placing first in FCIACs, first in the FCIAC East Divisional meet, first in state opens, and holding the school record with a distance of 38 feet for the shot put.
While the amount of things Claire has done this season has amazed everyone, chemistry teacher and head coach of the girls’ track team Jeffrey Brentson said that he predicted she would do well. “I saw her day one and knew she was going to be really good at this,” Coach Brentson said. “Ability wise, she was fast and strong, and those are key components.”
Throwing coach for the team, Marianne Cohen had seen Claire’s athletic ability before, and immediately felt that she would be successful in this unfamiliar sport. “I was very excited because I knew that she was a very good athlete,” Coach Cohen said. “I have seen her on the field hockey field and I watched her play softball as a freshman.”
Claire started throwing as a senior due to the encouragement of her friends who wanted to get her to do track with them. “I started because one of my best friends, Callie Busch, is the captain of the throwing team and I thought well why not, I’ll have fun senior year,” she said.
When Claire first realized her talent for the sport, she continued to see it as a way to have fun and enjoy her last year at NCHS. “I thought ‘Oh this is really cool, I’m gonna have a lot of fun,’” Claire said. “I came to practice every day because I enjoyed it and I got better because I put the work in.”
Junior Ashley Tedford, Claire’s teammate who placed seventh in FCIACs, said that Claire’s success in the sport is the result of dedication and hard work. “She is practicing all the time; Claire is the first one to get to practice and the last one to leave,”Ashley said. “She is always asking for more practice time and what she can do to get better. She just really wants to improve overall.”
Coach Brentson also noticed Claire’s work ethic both on and off the field. “She’s extremely hard working and really focused on making sure she gets it down and gets it down quickly,” he said. “You can tell she practices at home because she comes the next day and has gotten even better, and that’s very unique.”
Because Claire works outside of regular practice times, she is able to learn new techniques and improve her game each day. “She will go home and study, and that is something that is nice as a coach. I will tell her that I want you to go home and look at Al Feuerbach or watch my favorite thrower, Ulf Timmermann, and look at how they transfer power when they get to the second half of the throw,” Coach Cohen said. “Claire will come back and say ‘Did you mean this?’ And that’s refreshing.”
In addition to the techniques she learns from watching videos, Claire has her own ways and superstitions that she believes in. “Before every meet, I have black socks, black crocs and my special black shorts that I’ve worn to every single meet,” she said. “I wear my singlet, and then over it I have an ACDC shirt and right before I throw, I take it off. It gets me in the mood.”
Ashley admires Claire because she is not only a star athlete, but also an essential part to a fun team and practice. “Claire is so funny and she is always making us laugh,” Ashley said. “Practice is never boring with her there because she is hilarious and she makes sure we’re all having a good time.”
Even though Claire has had many accomplishments throughout her season, she is still learning techniques along with the rest of the girls on the team. “There is no hierarchy,” Coach Cohen said. “They all joke and get along. Claire asks questions, and they ask questions too.”
Coach Brentson also sees Claire as a positive impact on other team because with her improvements, everyone else wants to improve more to do as well as they can. “I think she has raised the bar for the other girls that are throwing,” he said. “Everybody is excited because she’s doing well, and everybody is more excited about the improvements they’re making.”
While Claire has an obvious impact on New Canaan’s team, she also stands out to other teams who haven’t seen her before. “She definitely intimidates the girls from the other teams,” Ashley said. “She is not a name that’s known to track and field, so she
definitely scares the other teams when they see her throw.”
Claire knows that she is a threat to other teams by seeing their reactions to her appearance at meets. “I know that there was one girl who had the head of the FCIAC for the past couple of years, and then I came out and she was very upset about it, but that’s how competition works,” she said. “There is gonna be someone better than you, and someone who is putting in more work in, and they’re going to win.”
Coach Cohen, who is also the senior class advisor, notes that Claire is an outstanding person on and off the field. “She was an incredible class president because of her work ethic. She is incredible at everything she chooses to do,” she said. “When you have somebody that is that busy, they find a way to schedule time to do everything well.”
Claire’s numerous accomplishments include placing first in FCIACs, first in the FCIAC East Divisional meet, first in state opens, and holding the school record with a distance of 38 feet for the shot put.
Although Claire’s strengths in track are very evident, Ashley says that Claire is also an outstanding person outside of sports. “People don’t know that she is really good at a lot of things; she is an amazing oboe player and she is really smart, and I don’t know how she does it all,” Ashley said. “But on top of it she is a really good person and a great friend.”
