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Nse Uffort broke nationwide records in discus and shot put a few weeks ago. Now he says he has his eye on winning at state championships.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Swain County High junior Nse Uffort is one of the best at throwing discus and shot put in the whole country. But it all started when he was injured playing football years ago.
“When I was a freshman, I tore my ACL playing football,” he said. “I had never done track. Coach [Ian] Roper talked to me and said come out and throw. The first year, I did alright, nothing special, but then I really took off, and it hit me that I could be good at this. I turned to this rather than football. It really paid off.”
And paid off it has.
At the track meet taking place March 14, Uffort scored a discus throwing record of 180-04, easily beating competitors.
Then, only days later, he traveled out to Virginia Beach for the Adidas National competition, where he got 6th place at shot put, which got him the “All American” title as one of the top eight competitors.
Coach Ian Roper said as of Friday, March 22, Uffort was 16th in the nation for discus and 36th for shot put.
But Uffort wasn’t letting it get to his head.
Instead, he was just joining his fellow classmates at the track and the indoor gym at the high school – training for his next meet.
“You’ve got to keep your body working, hard work, no days off,” he said. “Don’t miss a day. Take the weight room seriously. I’ve never missed a day, even when the weather wasn’t great.”
Though Uffort added later that he still does play football as a second sport as well. He’s not sure yet whether he’ll pursue track and field or football in college – he’s still considering. “I’m keeping it open, not jumping into anything,” he said.
There are things he likes about track that he doesn’t get out of football, he said.
“Football, you’re always with your team. Track is more individual,” he said. “You meet a lot of cool people. Track is also not as physically demanding. You can give your body a rest from football.”
Those who know him say Uffort has many admirable qualities – not just athleticism.
“He’s a complete package kid,” said Roper. “He’s an honors student, he’s got a great character, and he’s one of the best athletes in the United States.”
Uffort said it was “just a lot of hard work” that got him up among the best in the whole country for discus and shot put.
“It’s nice seeing it all pay off, it’s really rewarding,” he said. “But the job is not finished. I haven’t won state championships yet – that’s my next goal.”