7/20/2023 9:43:00 AM | General, Men's Track and Field
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Montana's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has adopted 'More Than An Athlete' as its slogan, hoping to showcase that each of them have interests, passions and pursuits beyond their field of play. Regularly throughout the summer, Griz student-athletes will share personal, first-hand letters about who they are and what the slogan means to them.
To read more about the initiative, click here. For an archive of previous first-hand stories, click here.
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Carson Weeden, Track & Field
A native of Lewistown, Montana, Carson Weeden has competed in the pole vault at five Big Sky Championship meets, scoring during the 2022 indoor meet. He is working toward degrees in management and entrepreneurship, plus marketing, but he is More Than An Athlete, as described below, in his own words:
Weeden and his dad harvesting a saddleback impala in South Africa.
'More Than An Athlete' means a lot to me, as there is so much more to me than just being a pole vaulter on the track team. Of course I love my sport, and I spend a ton of my time working at it, but there is so much more to me than just that. Being able to realize that my sport doesn't have to be my whole identity has allowed me to embrace all of my hobbies and be able to find balance between my sport and all the other parts of myself.
This past semester, I started volunteer coaching at Loyola Sacred Heart High School with their track team. Being able to share my passion for track with the high school kids and the other coaches has been very rewarding and has helped me grow as a person. Though it involves my sport, it has allowed me to be involved in the sport in a different way, which I have really enjoyed.
During the fall, I take any chance I get to go home to Lewistown, Montana, to go hunting. I have been hunting for as long as I can remember, and it is one of my favorite things to do with my dad. We love to go hunting around Lewistown, but we also have gone on some big hunting trips too. Last summer, we went down to South Africa to hunt, and it was one of the coolest experiences ever.
Weeden and a friend snowmobiling in West Yellowstone,
Montana, overlooking Island Park, Idaho.
During the winter, when I can find some time away from track, I love to go snowmobiling in the backcountry. This really is one of my favorite things to do in the winter. It gives me a chance to get outside, see some beautiful mountains and spend time with my cousins doing something we all love.
I have a few different jobs and chores that I am always helping with when I am at home. I work for my dad's construction company, running heavy equipment for whatever jobs they have going on. We also have a ranch, so I am always helping with odd jobs like moving cows, cutting hay and anything in between. I also have a firewood business. I spend most of my time in the summer cutting firewood, then during the winter I sell and deliver it around my hometown.
Weeden and his nephew taking a nap after a long day.
Along with all those things, I am a little brother to one brother and two sisters. I am a son to my amazing mom and dad. I am an uncle to my cute little nephew, with another one on the way.
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I love spending time at the lake with my family, riding my dirt bike, shooting guns, taking our dogs to get ice cream and watching the sunset with my parents on the front porch. All these things, outside of my sport, help to shape who I am.
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I am made up of so many things and so many hobbies. I am more than just an athlete.
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