The Westside girls throwing team is built up of a couple of strong assets, one of those being senior Aubrie McDonald. She has been doing track since 5th grade and it has quickly become one of her favorite hobbies.
“I started competing in track in 5th grade, but I especially love Westside track. The team is so fun and I get to make a ton of memories along the way,” McDonald said.
Going into her final season, she has set a bunch of personal goals for herself. She is committed to making it the best season.
“At the beginning of the season my goals were to beat the school records. Now that I’ve done so in both shot-put and discus, they’ve changed,” McDonald said.
To reach her goals she needed support and motivation. McDonald always receives support from her coaches, but also constructive criticism.
“Both of my coaches are good about recognizing when I need criticism on my technique or just reassurance after a throw. That helps me because as an athlete,” McDonald said, “You need to be able to recognize when too much is being thrown at you and your brain can’t think about too much at once.”
Coaches at Westside have really helped McDonald improve. She is now committed to continue track in college at the University of Nebraska Wesleyan.
“I am committed to Nebraska Wesleyan University to throw in college. The culture here at Westside is something that I’ll really miss,” McDonald said “I want to thank my coaches and teammates for always believing in me whenever I doubted myself and always supporting me.”
McDonald has always had constant support from her parents and teammates, which helped her continue to the next level. This is where her motivation spiked from, and will continue to college.
“For me, my motivation comes from my parents, coaches, and teammates. My parents are always there to back me up and push me to do my best, “ McDonald said “My teammates push me to do better but also when I need a good laugh before I throw.”
McDonald has placed 1st in almost every meet that she has competed in. She is one of the strongest parts of the throwing team. Placing always feels good, but it means even more to her since she is a senior.
“When I meet someone it makes me happy. If I can’t PR in the meet, my goal is to get 1st place. But oftentimes I strive for PR.I complete my best every time, since it is my last season,” McDonald said.
With the track season coming to a close, McDonald is striving to end her senior season with a school record. Westside girls track record for shot-put is 38’ 7 ¾” and the record for discus is 126’ 9”.
“My goal for the shot-put is to hit 44 ft. In discus my goal is to hit 145 ft,” Mcdonald said “My current PR for shot-put is 41 ‘5 ” and for discus it is 130’5”.”
Westside Track and field has been a huge part of McDonald’s life, her teammates and coaches mean everything to her but it is on to the next level for her.
