Kourtney Rozeboom, Hills-Beaver Creek Class of 2018
Personal Records:
Discus: 121' 2"
Shot Put: 40' 9"
MSHSL State Meet Record:
2017 5th Place Shot Put
2018 5th Place Shot Put
Where were you born and what were your earliest memories in sports?
I was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I remember playing T-Ball as a kindergartner. Then my friends and I began playing basketball in 5th grade, volleyball in 7th grade, and track & field in 7th grade."
What are your high school sports? How have you done in them?
Our volleyball team has won or tied for the conference title each of the last two years. In basketball we made it to the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2004 this past year. I made All-Conference as a center in basketball this year as well.
To this point the highlight of my athletic career has been that semi-final game we played against our arch-rival Southwest Christian. We played them three times this year, losing by 2 points the first time, and in overtime the second game. In this semi-final section game we led the entire way until we ran out of gas at the very end. We played about six players the entire game. Their depth beat us at the end.
How did you get involved in track & field?
My mom was a sprinter-jumper and my dad was football player. Both played at Hills-Beaver Creek so it was natural that I would get involved. In a small town if you are tall they assume that you will be out for sports. I loved playing all three of my sports but time management was a problem sometimes. In addition sometimes you just want a break but you can't get one because of all the practices and games.
You have been to the Howard Wood Dakota Relays Meet two years in a row now. This year you performed well finishing 3rd place in the discus and 9th place in the shot put. Tell us about that meet.
It takes place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where I will be going to school next year. I was a little distracted because of that. However there is tough competition there. In order to qualify for the meet you must have marks of 35 feet in the shot put and 108 feet in the discus. There are athletes from several states and many teams. But most teams only take a few from their teams. I do not know how many were in the discus but there were 51 girls in the shot put.
Have you had any adversities in sports?
I am a right side hitter and I strained a muscle in my thumb from blocking. What we did is tape it during practices and meets. Then I would ice it afterwards. I also had some exercises the physical therapist gave me that I would do every night.
Who are your main competitors?
Delaney Smith of Windom and Norah King of Canby are my main competition in the southwest part of Minnesota. We see them in regular season meets about twice a year. Norah and I have never talked before but Delaney and I have. She does give me advice; and a year ago a coach from Pipestone instructed me that I needed to use my lower body more.
Who are your main workout partners?
Avery Wysong, a senior who is in her first season of throwing, and Abby Knobloch, a freshman in her 3rd year are on the Hills-Beaver Creek throwing squad.
Does anyone cheer you on at meets?
My parents Jared and Amanda Rozeboom; my grandparents Leroy and Shelly Van Wyhe; and my sister Kailey Rozeboom who is a sophomore student-athlete at Hills-Beaver Creek are at nearly every meet.
What do you do for mental training?
I do not worry about the girls who have better marks than me. I focus on my own throwing. Our coaches also help us with this.
How will the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots do in post-season competition this year?
We do have some good relay teams and throwers on our team to keep things competitive!
What do you do besides sports?
I have a 3.4 GPA, I am in the Math League which competes against other schools, and I do some baby-sitting. Playing three sports doesn't leave a lot of time left over for other stuff.
Tell us some more about track & field at your school?
We do not have a track or throwing rings. What we throwers do is go to our old high school where there used to be drawings on the sidewalk of the circles. They've mostly faded away but we use the sidewalk squares as a competition-like area. We also do not have a lot of shot puts. We only have two competition shots and two smaller shots. What I usually do is warmup with the boys shot put and then the girls shot put feels a lot easier to throw.
We also have grunting competitions during practice for fun, but we do not grunt in actual meets. We get to run against the coaches in Suicides where you touch lines, 30s, 50s, 80s, and 100s. We have four girls and five boys on our throwing teams. No, I cannot beat all of the boys yet because they are good!
What do you plan to do after high school?
I am headed to the University of Sioux Falls and will major in Art Education.
Technical Tips from Kourtney Rozeboom:
Thomas Glouf got me started throwing in 7th grade. He taught me how to hold the shot, basic power position, and to not throw it like a softball. I first competed on the varsity in 8th grade with Thomas still coaching me. We learned the "Parry O'Brien Glide," technique and where to keep our body weight and what needs to go through the ring first. Keep your weight back as long as possible, when you uncoil your hips should go through at the same time your weight goes through.
For the discus, you want your arms level at the start of the first step but then your left arm should drop for the second step so that you can get height on the throw. My most difficult problem has always been how big a step to take. It's different for everyone. I have a tendency to take too small of steps and then I wind up short of the ring. This does not help your because you wind up having to throw before you should.
My mom videos all of my throws and my coaches do as well. I watch throws at home and during practice. This is a very important part of what we do.
What advice would you give to a young athlete?
Always go all out because you never know when your last game or meet will be. I also would have lifted and worked out more in the summer.
