Bulldog track stars look to the future in college

By DAVID ERICKSON

Whitefish Pilot

As the caps flew into the sky on Saturday, new chapters began in the spectacular careers of two Whitefish High School graduating seniors.

For Cort Rogers, the sky's the limit as he embarks upon the next stage in his life. As if he didn't spend enough time airborne while on his way to shattering the state Class A pole vault record, he plans to enroll in the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado next year.

As for Courtney Ferda, the University of Montana track and field program may want to keep their record books somewhere handy this upcoming year. Ferda owns three individual state track and field records and two team records, and nobody expects her dominance to end at the collegiate level.

These two outstanding athletes leave Whitefish High School with high expectations from their former track coach, Derek Schulz.

"For Courtney, she scored 32.5 points at the state track meet, which to my knowledge is the best performance by any female in Whitefish since the mid 1980s, and she competed with some of the best in Montana history," Schulz said. "Her career was phenomenal."

Ferda, 18, was named Athlete of the Meet at the 2007 State Track and Field Meet in Polson after her blistering time of 25.72 seconds in the 200-meter dash earned her a state championship.

Ferda says her proudest moment at that meet wasn't her individual accomplishment but helping her 400m relay team place second in Class A, something that a team from Whitefish hadn't done in 23 years. One might think that Ferda aspires to a career as an athlete, but she has other plans.

"That would be cool, but I really don't think being a professional athlete is realistic," she says. "I want to work in an inner city school in Georgia or somewhere, and possibly teach track or volleyball."

Ferda will be attending UM this fall on a business scholarship, where she will study elementary education.

Rogers, also 18, is leaving Whitefish as well. The day after graduation, he was on a plane to Pennsylvania to work with his old pole vault coach. Rogers is training for the Nike Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina, an invitation-only meet, where on June 16, he hopes to break his Montana state Class A record of 15 feet 6 inch in the pole vault.

"I feel really good. I've done 16 feet a couple times in practice, and 16 feet has won it a couple years," Rogers said. Asked if he believes he can jump 17 or even 18 feet in college, Rogers answers "absolutely" without hesitation, and there is no doubt in his voice.

Schulz also believes Rogers is up to the challenge.

"Cort is the most technically sound high pole vaulter I've ever seen, which is actually an understatement," Schulz said. "We've had two vaulters go 14 feet in our history, and for him to beat that by a full foot and a half is amazing. What's incredible about him is how calm and collected he is in stressful circumstances. It's unbelievable the composure that kid has."

That skill may well translate into a career as a pilot for Cort, who plans to attend the Air Force Academy after one year of prep school in California.

Although Cort and Courtney are leaving Whitefish, they leave a lasting legacy of professionalism, hard work, self-motivation, headlines and broken records in their wake. It is a safe bet, however, that there are still a few more headlines to come from these two.