O-R Athlete of the Week: Rose Kuchera, Canon-McMillan
Name: Rose Kuchera
School: Canon-McMillan
Class: Junior
Sport: Track and field
Kuchera’s week: Kuchera won the triple jump with a meet-record leap of 40-9 Saturday in the Washington-Greene County Track & Field Championships at the Big Macs’ AHN Field.
The junior broke the record on her first attempt. she also beat her previous personal record by a foot.
“I was surprised that I got it on my first attempt,” Kuchera said. “I probably jumped around 9:30 in the morning, but I got a good warm up in, and since this was at our home track, I was used to the track and the runway.”
Kuchera’s mark in the triple jump was the best in the state this season.
“She’s been working up to this point since the indoor season,” Canon-McMillan coach Mike Koot said. “She also set school records in the triple and the long jump Saturday. She has increased each year she has been on the team.”
Kuchera flew 19-06.25 in the long jump and broke the tape in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.54. She was part of the Big Macs’ 400 relay team that won the event in 49.70.
Kuchera was second in the state in the 100-meter hurdles last year. She was third in the triple jump and was on Canon-McMillan’s 400 relay team that finished seventh in the state.
“I’ll probably do the 100 hurdles, long jump, triple jump and 4×100 relay at the WPIAL championships,” Kuchera said. “The first time I went to the WPIALs as a freshman, it was a little strange, but I feel comfortable with it now. I have gone to the track at Slippery Rock before and will check it out in the summer.”
Everyone is doing it: Like most track and field athletes, Kuchera didn’t grow up wanting to be a track star, but she joined the team in middle school because all her friends were doing it, however, she has grown to love it.
“It was definitely one of those, ‘I joined it because my friends were doing it,’ type of thing,” Kuchera said. “Now, it is the only sport I participate in, and I also compete in the summer, and I do indoor track and field. I used to do dance, but track and field is all I do now when it comes to sports.”
She has an interest in becoming a forensic lawyer and plans on continuing her academic and track and field careers in college but hasn’t decided on a school.
“I participate in mock trials and am on peer jury at school,” Kuchera said.
All-around athlete: Koot believes Kuchera has the ability to compete in the heptathlon.
“She is going to try the heptathlon this summer,” Koot said. “She would be ranked in the 300 hurdles if she decided to do them. She will do whatever we ask her.”
Kuchera said there is one discipline she is not interested in.
“I am not doing distance,” said Kuchera emphatically. “However, I am going to try out the javelin and shot put this summer.”
Friendly sport: As much as she enjoys crossing the finish line first, Kuchera says some of her best moments in track and field are hanging out with her teammates, and even opponents.
“It is such a close-knit group,” Kuchera said. “My teammates are some of my best friends outside of track, and one of my best friends is from Central Valley, and I met her at a track meet. We always support and encourage each other whether someone is in first or last place.”
Compiled by Jonathan Guth
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