BGMR/Freeze athletes battle at state track and field meet: Skeim captures sixth place state finish

photo by Ryan Bergeron
BGMR/Freeze Track and Field senior Brady Skeim stands on the state podium with his state medal around his neck after finishing sixth in the discus throw at the Class A State Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 10.

photo by Ryan Bergeron
BGMR/Freeze Track and Field senior Brady Skeim (second from left) stands on the state podium with his fellow top discus finishers at the Class A State Track and Field Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 10 after finishing sixth in the event.

photo by Ryan Bergeron
BGMR/Freeze Track and Field sophomore Liam Collins leaps in the air as part of the Class A Triple Jump event at the State Track and Field Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 9. Collins finished fifteenth in his first career state meet appearance.

photo by Ryan Bergeron
BGMR/Freeze Track and Field sophomore Treston Nichols follows through on a throw during the Class A Boys Shot Put event at the State Track and Field Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 9. Nichols recorded a personal record at state and finished fourteenth.

photo by Ryan Bergeron
BGMR/Freeze Track and Field senior Brady Skeim spins as he prepares to release a throw during the discus event at the Class A State Track and Field Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 10. After coming up empty in his state trip last season, Skeim earned a sixth place finish in this event in his final season.

photo by Ryan Bergeron
Treston Nichols poses with his mom Tara Wiskow after he competed in the shot put event at the Class A State Track and Field Meet from St. Michael-Albertville High School on June 9– first career state meet appearance.

Last season, Brady Skeim represented the BGMR/Freeze Track and Field Team alone at the Class A State Girls and Boys Track and Field Meet. There, he fell short of a state medal, taking fourteenth in both the shot put and discus events.

Skeim returned to the state meet this season, this time in just the discus and with a couple other state-advancing teammates in Liam Collins (triple jump) and Treston Nichols (shot put)— an event held at St. Michael-Albertville High School, June 9-11.

A senior, Skeim made his final try at a state medal count. He finished in fifth in the opening throwing rounds to advance to the finals. Following the finals, he earned a sixth place finish thanks to his best throw of 151-00, getting that state medal placed around his neck and standing on the podium with his fellow top nine state finishers on June 10.

The medal came after some hard work, an effort in which BGMR/Freeze Track and Field Coach John Lee has had an opportunity to see in “bits and pieces.”

“He has been working at perfecting this since I met him in ninth grade. Great kid, good leader,” Coach Lee said, “…willing to pass on that knowledge to other people. So (I’m) very proud of him (and) his whole family.”

Lee highlighted how Skeim’s family had done much for the BGMR/Freeze Track and Field program, including meals.

“They just do everything. They’re at every meet. They always have chairs. They have hot dogs. They have food, drinks for everybody,” Coach Lee said. “Just a wonderful group and (I’ll) be sad to see him go.”

The BGMR/Freeze program is losing some experience to graduation in the throwing events. At many meets, the program had three seniors, in Skeim, Austin Kautzman, and Gage Hockstedler, finishing in the top three in discus. Two of these seniors, Skeim and Hockstedler, and sophomore Nichols would finish top three in shot put at many meets as well.

“We’re graduating… a lot from the top and we’re going to look for these younger ones to step up,” Coach Lee said, “but Brady (Skeim) is going to be tough to replace.”

Besides Skeim, Kautzman, and Hockstedler, the program also officially loses three other seniors, in Greta Lee, Brooke Olson, and Leokadia Bring.

As for the other BGMR/Freeze state participants, Liam Collins competed in the triple jump in his first career state meet appearance. He fell short of advancing to the finals, and finished fifteenth with his best jump of 39-07.50. Also participating in his first state meet, Treston Nichols competed in the shot put. He didn’t advance to the finals and finished fourteenth with his best throw of 46-02.00— a personal record.

To see the complete story, read the June 15 issue of The Tribune or the June 16 issue of the North Star News in print or online at page1publications.com.