Palisade Senior, Lauren Hardin, is the female Athlete of the Week brought to you by Palisade Dino Mart. Hardin used to be a three sport athlete her Freshman and Sophomore years, until she dropped swimming and continued with volleyball and track and field. She has been playing volleyball and track and field all four years of high school. In her current sport, track and field, Hardin does discus and shot put. “I did it in sixth grade at West Middle School,” said Hardin. “I wanted to stick with it because it was really fun. In 7th grade I was at Holy Family and I did discus and shot put there. I have been doing it since all of high school.” Since the beginning, Hardin has been very fond of the sport. She has also developed a bond with what the sport brings. “I love the sense of family that we have. In all of the years that I have been doing track and field we bring a grill to the meets and we grill burgers and stuff. It just feels like family.” 

In her years of doing discus and shot put, Hardin has seen so much growth and success. “I have been PRing at almost every meet and I am top 18 in the state for discus and shot put,” said Hardin. With the help of others, Hardin has been able to see this success. “In terms of athletics, Valarie Allman is one of my biggest inspirations. She is the number one discus thrower in the world right now, I think. I like to look at videos of how she utilizes her leg sweep in order to generate more speed for energy.” 

Hardin puts in so much dedication inside and outside of the practice field to succeed in what she loves doing. Her hard work is an inspiration to those around her. Congratulations Lauren Hardin on Athlete of the Week!