Howland’s Clark off to a good start in 2022
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CORTLAND -- In some cases, it just takes time to develop an appreciation for a sport. A love for the game could come by spending more and more time with the sport, or by having some level of success.
For Howland junior Courtney Clark, throwing has always been in her blood but a run to the state meet last spring with a school record in tow allowed Clark to view the sport in a slightly different light.
Tack on interest from colleges, and as Clark put it, track stole her heart.
"Discus is difficult and it's very technical," Clark said. "Shot you go out and power it, and I had a lot of success in it last year, so I might be a little bit biased towards that. I have fun with shot a lot, and they both can be frustrating, but shot is my favorite."
Clark's school record that was set last April in the shot put holds a very special meaning, being that her mother, Kim Lazor-Clark, held Howland's shot put record of 39-feet-11 inches for sometime before Kaylee Redon came a long and broke the record several years ago. Friday evening at the Lakeview Relays, Clark recorded a toss of 41-feet-5 inches for first place, setting the relay record with teammates Lexus Solarz and Jessica DeSalvo with 107.025 points.
As a sophomore, Clark earned a sixth-place finish in Columbus at the state meet, with the top five spots all being earned by seniors. It was a learning experience for the Tiger, who didn't have the opportunity to compete as a freshman due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Discus and shot put are unique things, there's a lot of little movements that make big differences, very technical," said Howland coach Matthew Zakrajsek. "So, we just try to work on things in the ring, and a millisecond difference on your release is going to depend on where it goes, that's why you get multiple throws.
"There's so many little things going into it, that you could put a lot of pressure on yourself, and just overcoming that says a lot about these athletes. She has big shoes to kinda step in and kinda fill, and her mom being able to help out and coach is a great experience for them."
With only two throws on a chilly and windy evening, Clark tossed the final disc of the Lakeview Relays Friday night, with the disc trending right, but spinning back just into the sector. There was a big smile by Clark who didn't just win the event, but also set a personal best of 120 feet under the night sky.
After losing a season, and essentially taking the role of a "freshman" last year, Zakrajsek sees the bar set even higher for Clark.
"Definitely set some goals, she has some marks she wants to hit, and some things to do," Zakrajsek explained. "She's put some work in, in the offseason, it's just going to be able to perform, getting lucky, and see how everything plays out."
On top of making another run at state, Clark has another target in focus – breaking her mother's record of 145 feet in the discus.
"It probably won't happen this year, but next year I really want to aim for it," Clark said about improving her mark of 120 feet. "I think just moving faster through the ring, that's something that Coach Z and I are working on a lot right now, just having quick feet and just really having my arm extended and having good power too.
"I'm in the weight room now, which is something I didn't do in the past, but I really want to focus on getting stronger and being faster, and I think that if I can do that, then my mom's record is going to be gone next year."
In addition to track and field, the 5-foot-11 junior is also an outside hitter on the Tigers volleyball team, while also partaking in club volleyball. Clark dropped basketball in favor of another very technical and individual sport this past winter -- bowling.
"Bowling is a very big mental sport, and it's helped me so much throughout every other sport I've done, with the mental aspect of things," Clark commented. "With volleyball, going up to hit, it helps so much with my power too, same with the discus and the shot. Grunting out that power helps me in volleyball, and I feel like everything I do all mixes in, and helps me in every single sport, and that's what I love about it."
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