EUGENE, Ore. – Two Moses Lake athletes are heading to Eugene, Oregon for the USA Track & Field Junior Olympics beginning on Monday, with senior Paige Perkins and junior Hunter Blackman competing at the meet.

“I’m really excited,” Blackman said. “I think this is an opportunity that I shouldn’t miss out on.”

This is Perkins’ second time at the Junior Olympics, having competed at last year’s meet.

“I’m a lot more excited than last year, I’ve been training better and (am healthier), not injured like I was last year,” Perkins said. “I’m very excited for the possibilities that could happen in the next week.”

Both Blackman and Perkins qualified for the Junior Olympics at the USATF Region 13 Championships meet in Tacoma earlier this month, with Blackman competing in the decathlon and Perkins running the 1,500-meter, 3,000-meter and steeplechase.

“I was really nervous because I’ve never done it before and there were some events that I’ve never competed in ever, but getting there and meeting some of the guys, they were all really nice to hang out with and compete with,” Blackman said. “That made it a lot easier.”

Perkins set new personal bests in all three events at regionals in Tacoma, including a 41-second drop in the steeplechase and a nearly 25-second drop in the 3,000-meter run.

“It was more of a mental thing,” Perkins said. “The coaches (emphasized) ‘You can drop them, you can get to this time.’ I think it was more mental because the week before I had a tiny PR and was like, ‘Okay, I finally did it.’”

Blackman qualified for state in the javelin this last season with the Moses Lake Mavericks, also throwing shot put and discus for the high school team. He said there are a handful of events in the decathlon that he’s never competed in, though he isn’t shying away from them.

“I just think that whatever I’m going to do is going to be my PR,” Blackman said. “There’s no way I can really go wrong.”

The decathlon includes the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, 1,500-meter run, javelin, discus, shot put, long jump, high jump and pole vault. To be able to compete in the Junior Olympics, Blackman had to get a certain pole from UCS Spirit to compete in the pole vault event.

“Nobody has a pole that’s over 220 (pounds), and I need a 225 (pound) pole to compete,” Blackman said. “At the last meet, they didn’t weigh you in so I was on a 190 (pound) pole, but now I have to have a pole that’s my weight.”

After battling against a patellar tendinitis injury during her junior season, Perkins has used her off-season to get healthy and take some time off to work on the mental aspect of running.

“My workouts have been more steady, I’ve been able to complete them,” Perkins said. “I’m able to push myself harder than I was last year.”

Both Maverick athletes are hoping that the Junior Olympics will serve as a momentum boost heading into their athletic seasons in the 2023-24 school year.

“I think the stress will be less next year,” Blackman said. “My first time at a big meet, I was really stressed out and I didn’t compete great. I think doing more meets like this will help with the stress.”

“It’s already had a massive impact,” Perkins said. “I can see where I can go because of this, it shows how much better these seasons are going to be.”

GoFundMe.com pages for both Perkins and Blackman can be found below

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Hunter Blackman: https://bit.ly/3QdSJxv.

Paige Perkins: https://bit.ly/43D194c.