As backup plans go, Signal Mountain juniors Marlee Burkley and Hudson Sveadas are opening a lot of eyes and future opportunities for themselves since deciding to give track & field a go.
There was a time when the sport was barely an afterthought for either athlete.
When Burkley moved to Chattanooga from Mississippi in middle school, she had planned to try out for cheerleader, thinking that would be a good way to make new friends. Yet once she learned that was a year-round requirement, and after her middle school coach called Signal Mountain coach Dustin Carpenter to inform him of her potential, she was quickly convinced to get involved with what has become one of the state’s most accomplished programs.
Sveadas had starred in both baseball and basketball from little league through middle school before an elbow injury cut short his baseball career, and he simply lost interest in basketball. After giving both football as well as throwing the discus and shot put a try last year, it was the two field events where Sveadas discovered his athletic niche.
“You could see the potential Marlee had from the first day she showed up,” Carpenter said. “She does not have a big, powerful build, but she’s smooth and graceful in what she does. When she goes over the high jump bar, the motion is a thing of beauty. When she runs the hurdles, her form is so crisp and smooth and clean. Marlee is an elite hurdler.