Plains track and field coach Denise Montgomery knows there is a lot more to being a team than simply practicing and competing together.

She knows that sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses; or in this case, stop and do some fishing.

Promoting team unity and having fun along the way, Montgomery guided her Trotter and Horsemen thinclads through the State C meet in Great Falls Friday and Saturday, with a few welcome diversions along the way, one of which was to finally put a fishing pole in Sinjin LaDeaux's hands.

The Jessica Thompson-led Trotters scored 28 points and tied for sixth place in team standings, while Brandon Managhan placed in three jumping events to score all 7 team points for the Horsemen in Great Falls.

Lindsay Laws won fifth place in the javelin for the Plains girls' other State C points, and LaDeaux cleared a lifetime best height of 6-0 to just miss placing in the boys' high jump for the other PHS highlights in the meet.

Thompson won first place in the shot put, with a best effort of 40 feet, 9.25 inches, placed second in the discus (123-8) and second in the javelin (126-3). Laws' best spear throw of 119-4 earned her fifth place in the javelin.

Managhan earned his medals by winning fourth place in the triple jump (with a personal record effort of 42-6), placing in a tie for fifth in the high jump (also clearing 6-0, but beating out LaDeaux based on fewer misses) and taking sixth in the long jump (20-6).

Montgomery said the team made a stop at Brown's Lake in the Ovando area on the way over to Great Falls Thursday. In another team-fun maneuver, the Plains contingent visited Giant Springs Park in the Great Falls area Friday after competing in the meet.

"Sinjin had never gone fishing before, so we stopped at Brown's Lake and took care of that Thursday," she said. "And we had a very fun visit to the Giant Springs Park Friday, too. It was just a really good, fun trip for everyone."

Bright sunshiny weather that quickly turned what had been cool spring weather into Montana-hot conditions didn't hurt either. "It was a glorious weekend of weather," Montgomery said, "perfect weather for track."

She said Laws winning her medal in the javelin and LaDeaux clearing 6-0 in the high jump were the highlights for her.

"Those were the biggest things in my mind," she said. "Lindsay getting that medal and Sinjin finally clearing six foot were huge accomplishments for those two."

Managhan, who along with LaDeaux gave the Horsemen one of the more potent one-two jumping crews in the Class C ranks this season, recorded personal bests in all his events in Great Falls as well, Montgomery said.

The defending State C champ in the discus and shot put, Thompson just missed in her attempt to repeat in both events, winning the shot but finishing second in the discus, where Seeley-Swan's Klaire Kovatch spun the plate 134-3 to win. Thompson had spent Thursday pitching for the Plains-Hot Springs Trotters in the State B-C softball tournament in Belgrade before motoring over to Great Falls later that day.

John Hamilton

THE HORSEMEN'S Brandon Managhan earned placing points in three jumping events at the State C meet.

"That might have taken something out of her pitching hard that day," Montgomery offered, "but you also have to give Klaire credit, she made the throws she had to."