HELENA — After taking home the title at state as a team and individually, Helena High thrower Sydney Mattfeldt reflects on her state journey before she heads off to Montana State’s track and field program.
“We do a lot of mental preparation as a team, we talk about being ready for everything and packing for every situation. So you're always prepared for whatever. And then we always show support for each other the week of state, just like knowing that you have that teammate support, that comes in a lot that state week, and it's super helpful. And then physically, it's just fine tuning everything that you need to get done,” Mattfeldt said.
Clearly, the preparation worked, as Mattfeldt took home the gold in shot put and silver in discus.
“The personal [win] was definitely very cool, because I knew it was, it was all me. And then the team won. It feels super cool knowing that I contributed to that. And then just knowing everybody elses' performances worked out and everything just added up to a state championship. They felt very similar and they were both very good feelings,” she said.
The championship was always in sight for the Bengals.
“We were definitely going for that state championship. We all wanted it really bad. We all knew we were capable of it. We knew it wasn't gonna come easy. So we definitely knew we had some work to do. But we went in and we got some work done, and it felt really good.”
The Helena High boys team took home ninth place and though they didn’t physically help the girls by running, jumping, and throwing, they were a part of the win. The Bengals are big believers of “celebrating as one.”
“The guys are a lot of fun to be around actually. They're all really supportive. They definitely know how to have a good time. They definitely help relax the situation when things get really tense and it's a lot of fun to have them around, it’s awesome,” Mattfeldt said.
The girls wrapped up their celebrations with a fire truck ride around Helena, and a message from their coach.
“Just a lot of them being proud of us and thanking us for putting in our hard work and us thanking them for putting in their hard work with us. A lot of celebration, a lot of congratulations. And a lot of ‘way to go for your hard work' was a lot of it,” Mattfeldt said.
And now, Mattfeldt can look forward to joining a D1 track and field program at Montana State University.
"It makes you feel really good. But then you think about division one and things are totally different. And it's a whole other level. So I know I've got some work to do. But having that state championship definitely boosts my confidence."
