By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MURFREESBORO — The day of Ciara Potter at the 2019 TSSAA Large Class State Track Meet on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University was a synopsis for the track program she represented.
Potter qualified for two events at this year’s event with the High Jump and Long Jump. But a quick look at the Thursday schedule at tssaasports.com revealed a conflict. Both the High Jump and Long Jump were scheduled for 9 a.m.
Potter had to sacrifice one of the events. The junior elected to put her efforts in reaching the medal stand in the Long Jump. Her decision paid off with Potter taking sixth place in the event with a leap of 17-04.
“It feels amazing because everybody doesn’t get this opportunity. Representing the program makes me really proud to continue the tradition. It makes me feel proud to carry on the tradition for my family.”
Ciara’s big sister Deja was a track and basketball standout at Munford High School. Potter and her fellow track teammate Jevon Floyd were the latest Munford Cougars to reach Murfreesboro adding to the rich tradition of Head Coach Bernard Ivie’s program.
Potter and Floyd joined the likes of Buck Williams, Caine Robinson, Dominga Smith, Crystal Williams and many more. Floyd was tied for 12th in the Boy’s Triple Jump final with a leap of 39-08.5.
Potter competed all year in several events like high jump, triple jump, long jump and relays. The sixth place finish in Long Jump was her second medal in her career adding to her eighth place finish in the Triple Jump in 2018.
“Our goal as a program is to get kids to State,” Munford Track Coach Thomas Walters said. “That our vision because it gets them exposure and increases their chances of getting scholarships. It’s special and tough this year because Coach Ivie wasn’t able to come this year. His wife had to have energy surgery over the weekend. He’s with her. So we’re trying to bring back home the medals for him.”
Ivie was missing like Potter was in the High Jump competition. The official record for the event goes down with Potter as NH (not here). So the Cougars only had one medal to bring back home for the Ivie family.
Walters said he knows Ivie is proud of both his State qualifiers and all his student/athletes who stuck with the program.
“It sounds like cliché but he’s very inspiring,” Walters said. “Coach Ivie is invested all the way. He fights for his kids, sometimes almost literally.”
Walters is invested in the children as well working with the middle school and cross country programs. This past school year saw the Cougar Cross Country team’s first State appearance.
“I’ve watched Ciara for three years in the middle school and now three years in high school,” Walters said. “She’s going to have a really good senior year. She’s battled through an ankle injury the last six weeks. She fought through it to be here.
“You build a close relationship with them and invest in them for seven years,” he added.
Potter said she is glad coaches like Ivie and Walters take that time with their student athletes.
“I want to thank everybody who helped me get here,” she concluded. “They helped me train and be able to reach the medal stand.”
