Reid Pierzinski, Pequot Lakes Class of 2018
Personal Bests
300 Meter Hurdles: 38.60
110 Meter Hurdles: 14.66
200 Meter Dash: 23.1
400 Meter Dash: 50.01
400 Meter Relay Split: 48.6
5K Cross Country: 16:37.5
Triple Jump 46' 6"
Where you born and what was your first sport?
I have lived in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota my entire life. My first sport was soccer when I was in 5th grade. I am 5'11" and 160 pounds.
Why didn't you play football, basketball, or baseball?
I was born with one deformed kidney and one normal kidney. I had to have surgery on it when I was in fifth grade, and the surgery got my deformed kidney to work about eighty percent efficiently as a normal kidney would. But because I only really have one kidney working at one-hundred percent, the doctors advised me to stay away from contact sports. I don't think my kidneys slow me down at all and I just look at my kidneys as part of my story in life.
How have you done at the MSHSL State Track & Field Championship over the years?
I have been to State the last three years for track and field. In 2015 I only qualified for State in triple jump and I was part of the 4x400m relay that took 9th place.
In 2016 I qualified in four events: Triple Jump, 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, and the 4x400m relay. I fell in the three hundred hurdles so it resulted in a disqualification and our relay also received a disqualification due to a handoff error. In the other two events (the 110m hurdles and the triple jump) I got 8th place.
In 2017 I qualified in all four events again for the state tournament. This last year went better as I was the state champion for single A in the 110m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. I also anchored our 4x400m relay to receive the state champion medal. In the triple jump, I took fourth place.
Have you made it to State in other sports?
One of the sports is cross country. I have been in cross country for seven years, and I have lettered the last six years. I have also been academic gold the last six years with a grade point average of 4.025. I have qualified to race in the state tournament the last three years. I placed 57th, 26th, and 77th at the state tournament. Another sport I am a part of is trap shooting. I have been on the trap shooting team for two years, and I have been the top shooter four times. I have also qualified for state in trap shooting.
Who coaches you?
Coaches that have helped me tremendously:
Jana Lueck - She is amazing at teaching blocks, handoffs, and always creates a positive atmosphere at practice.
Dave Guenther - He taught me how to pole vault, and I don't think you will ever find a more dedicated, knowledgeable head track coach.
Jamie Wagner - He has taught me so much more than just track and field. I look up to him as a leader in my school and I know I can turn to him for any advice. Besides being a great track coach, he is also my link crew leader and he has shown me how I can be a leader.
Bud Bjornaraa - I honestly don't know if there is a guy in this world that knows more about track and field than Bud. He has done incredible things for the track program and I know that a lot of our success is due to the ideas from Bud.
Brett Dale - He is so positive every single day and he has supported me since the first day I showed up to practice.
John Dale and Anna Larson - These two coaches were the first people that I looked up to when I got into middle school and I still look up to them today. They have helped me grow, develop, and really help get a great start in my athletics career.
Jeff Brever - He is a coach that has pushed me to limits that I didn't know existed. He knows how to train and help someone reach their fullest potential. He even goes beyond coaching as he has played many games of hockey with the team and even went to an escape room with us.
Steven Weagel - This guy has supported me in all my sports. He is so dedicated to the sport and he helps everyone to do the best they can. He always recognizes everyone that has done something great even if they weren't the best on the team, and it really brings the team closer together.
Chip and Kathy Allen - These two people are great at coaching the hurdles. They supported me through the times I have fallen and I know I could never have had the success that I have had without these two coaches.
What adversities have you had in sports?
There are always been challenges that everyone faces when they join track and field. One of the biggest challenges that I have faced is injuries. I have been fortunate that the injuries that I have had are injuries that I just have to ice and not ended my season. However, in cross country this last season, I had Achilles tendonitis and I also had a terribly sprained ankle that almost ended my season.
I think the way I got through my injuries was to just always keep the goal of trying to be the best that I can be. The hardest thing that has happened to me in track and field is dealing with the disqualifications in my second year of going to state. Falling on the fifth hurdle in the 300m hurdles was very tough, because I was ranked number one and I had to get back up and keep running. Then fifteen minutes later I disqualified us on a technicality of the handoff on our 4x400m relay.
What happened in the 2016 4x400 relay is our number three runner was leading going into the turn, and so we got the #1 slot for then anchor leg that I was running. The runner on the second place team passed our incoming runner slightly before the anchor leg handoff. This caused both anchor runners to collide. I went ahead and we won by about 20 meters. But since the other team was ahead when the collision took place our team was disqualified. We were upset but did not file a protest since the ruling was fair.
That situation caused my 4 x 400 relay teammates and I to train harder than ever the next year before state. During the fall, winter, and spring we did the following:
- We ran Sprints on our 200 meter walking track. We did 20-30-40-30-20 sprints because that was all we could do with that kind of facility.
- We lifted weights more consistently. We especially did squats, bench, and power cleans.
- We used resistance bands. These are huge rubber bands and we worked on hip flexors and other muscles which the lifting did not hit. Once the season started we worked much harder on our handoffs!
The next year getting the three state champion medals made everything better than I could ever imagine. I truly believe now that everything happens for a reason and that anyone can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough.
Who are your main competitors?
My main competitors are anyone from Perham and Max Giza from Staples-Motley. I cannot explain how much respect I have for everyone on those teams. I can see how much work Max does and it does show up on the track. The level of adrenaline and pressure that comes from just running against Max is fantastic for running fast times and creating an atmosphere of pure competition.
The guys on Perham's team are truly remarkable athletes also. The long distance team for Perham is a powerhouse that has been untouchable in cross country and track in my opinion. Another athlete from Perham (Martin Lafond), I met last year at the triple jump pit at Sections and State. He is a guy with amazing character and his training certainly shows up down the pit also. I have run against many amazing competitors throughout my track career but the people that stand out to me are Max Giza and anyone from Perham.
Which teammates help you the most?
It seems like two teammates that have been with me since day one are Cody Huss and Ben Nelson. These two guys are the hardest workers I have ever met, and they continue to push me even to this day even though they are at college. Another group of people that I rely on everyday and I have known forever are the guys from my cross country team. Their names are Levi Palmer, Jacob Tschida, Tony Fitzer, Marty Fitzer, and Karl Brine-Doyle. I think my school thought we never left each other's sides last year and we even received the name "The cross country guys."
Who cheers you on at meets?
I feel like everyone in Pequot Lakes is behind me when I am competing in any of my sports. Everyone from Pequot Lakes is very good at cheering and the parents of everyone are amazing supporters. Some of the main people who cheer for me are the Bermel's, Skog's, Brine-Doyle's, Tschida's, Fitzer's, Huss', Lane's, McGuire's, and Nelson's.
Adam Sekely and Paul Greengo are two people from my community that I love hearing from because they watch how I do at every track meet. They tell my parents to tell me that I am doing great and to keep working hard.
How do you set your goals and what do you do for the mental training?
I set goals for myself at the beginning of the season after I have talked with my coaches and we figure out what we would like to accomplish during the season. My coach Mr. Wagner gives the best mental training that I could imagine and I think the best thing that I can do is just stay positive and focused.
How do you think Pequot Lakes will do this year as a team?
The team did fantastic last year as we took second place as a team at the State Tournament. We did graduate a lot of great seniors this year, but the team is looking very young and very fast this year. I think we could possibly place high in state again this year if we all stay healthy.
What do you do besides sports?
My GPA is a 4.025 and I am in many clubs at my school. These clubs would include: National Honor Society, Link Crew, Knowledge Bowl, and also contributing to my local church.
The fun story that I have in sports comes from Cross Country. We used to play this game called Canyon Duels. The entire team would run to a very big hill during practice, and we would have a competition on who could roll a tire the furthest down the hill. It seems like a very simple game but the comaraderie and competition is at an all time high.
Do you have plans for after high school?
My plans after high school are to participate in track and field at South Dakota State University.
Hurling technique from Reid Pierzinski:
I have learned my hurdle technique from my two hurdle coaches: Kathy and Chip. Kathy has really forced me to work on my trail leg over the hurdles because I tend to drop my trail leg instead of really bringing it around the hurdle.
Chip has really worked with me on driving over the hurdles. I can still hear him telling me to "Punch through the picture frame" because I needed to punch my arm forward to really drive over the hurdle. I have to really drive over the hurdle because I am not the tallest hurdler, which just makes me have to be really clean on my technique.
