OCR Text |
Show SPORTS The Park Record. Editor: Ben Ramsey sports@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.15704 Twitter: @ParkRecSports TRI IT OUT Basin Recreation is offering a nineweek fitness program to help athletes prepare for a sprint triathlon scheduled for June 1 at The Fieldhouse. Newcomers to the sport are welcome. The program runs April 1 to June 1 and meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. at The Fieldhouse. The cost is $195. Learn more or register at basinrecreation.org. BLAST BALL & TEE BALL Basin Recreation’s Blast Ball and Tee Ball programs will be running from April 15 to May 22. Blast Ball is geared toward boys and girls ages 3 to 4 and Tee Ball is structured for ages 5 to 6. Programs take place at The Fieldhouse. Specific dates and times vary by division. The cost is $80 for Blast Ball, $90 for Tee Ball. Learn more and register at basinrecreation.org. PARK CITY HIGH SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB There will be an informational meeting Wednesday, April 3, from 6–7 p.m. at the Summit County Library in Kimball Junction for all interested riders and parents. The team will compete in cross country mountain bike riding & racing through the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). The team is open to fall semester seventh- through twelfthgrade students. There is no need to register in advance. Email Chris Best at parkcitymtb@gmail.com or contact 760-846-1280 with any questions. Please see Sports briefs, B-3 PARK CITY TRACK TEAM STEVEN NYMAN’S RACES AT PINE VIEW, B-2 RETURN TO FORM, B-3 www.parkrecord.com B-1 WED/THURS/FRI, MARCH 27-29, 2019 McCurdy takes mark, gets set, goes After impact in football and basketball, PCHS standout joins track BEN RAMSEY The Park Record Park City High School junior Mark McCurdy sums up himself in his Instagram biography with a single word: sports. It’s a fitting description of the 17-year-old. During an interview after a recent track practice, McCurdy thought about what he does outside of school, and it basically boils down to socializing and sports, organized or not. When he isn’t providing the football team with speed and a reliable set of hands at the wide receiver position, or playing point guard for the basketball team, or trying his hand at track in the 100-meter dash, long jump and high jump as he is this season, he doesn’t have much time for hobbies. “I don’t think I’ve gone home right after school all year,” he said. “I’ve had either football, basketball or track, and afterwards I go home, eat dinner, start the homework and go to bed.” That streak is likely to continue through the end of the spring sports season, but McCurdy has no problem with that. He said he joined the track team to spend more time with his friends, and improve himself during what would otherwise be an offseason for him. On March 20, he participated in his first ever track meet — a mostly junior varsity meet at Juan Diego, where he opened his competitive track career by competing in high jump. “It was pretty funny,” said Dave Yocum, Miners head track coach. “We all have expectations but you try to quell the expectations because you know he’s a good athlete.” Yocum wasn’t disappointed. “Unfortunately I was helping with TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Park City High School junior Mark McCurdy joined track this season after playing point guard for the Miners basketball team and wide receiver for the football team. He opened his track career by winning the high jump and long jump competitions at a mainly junior varsity competition at Juan Diego on March 20. the long jump, so I didn’t get to watch any of it,” Yocum said. “I missed the whole thing. He comes over afterward, like 15 minutes after he started, and he says ‘Well I won.’” In practice, McCurdy had been reaching 5 feet and 8 inches on his high jump but cleared 5-foot-10 at the meet, which was enough to take first place. Yocum congratulated him, then told him to warm up for long jump. “He literally had not done any preparation work for long jump, because we don’t have a long jump runway at the moment,” Yocum said. The PCHS field events areas are still covered in snow. “We got his steps down, did three run-throughs, and let him jump. Won the meet on the first jump.” By his third jump, McCurdy had reached 20 feet, 6 inches. For context, the school record is 21 feet, 8 inches, and McCurdy’s jump would have put him in the top 10 in any of the Class 4A, 5A or 6A state meets last season. “It was pretty mellow,” he said of the Juan Diego competition. “I exceeded my expectations on how I would do.” McCurdy spent his early years in Marago, California, just east of Oakland, where he played flag football and basketball starting in the third grade. FREE Appetizer with Purchase of 2 Entrées With coupon only. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 5/1/19 For a long time, it was basketball that he loved most. He played with the club team Eastbay Celtics in California, then played on Utah Premier through last summer, when he started seeing roadblocks his hopes of continuing the sport at the next level, including his height (6-foot-1). At the same time, he was finding his role on the Miners football team. He came in at starting quarterback his freshman year, then his classmate Jack Skidmore grew into the role and McCurdy moved to what he considers his natural position at wide receiver Please see McCurdy, B-4 Dine-In • Take-Out Reservations Private Events Full-Service Bar 195 West Main Street • Midway, Utah (435) 657-5494 • www.midwaycorner.com |