Brooklynn McIntyre's comfort was apparent and impressive at the Norwayne regional track meet last week.
Yes, comfort, on one of the most stressful stages in high school sports. The Rootstown senior wasn't co*cky, to be clear. Just comfortable — and that is a beautiful thing to be.
McIntyre was comfortable on Wednesday in Norwayne, where she clinched a second straight state berth in the shot put, winning her first regional title with a throw of 42 feet, 11 inches.
She was no less comfortable on Friday, even if the discus isn't her best event. She wasn't quite as happy with her throw (125-7), but the result was roughly the same. With a third-place regional finish in the discus, McIntyre is heading to Dayton in that event as well.
"I was just comfortable again, just like shot," McIntyre said Friday. "I felt pretty good about today. [I'm] still working on some things going into next week. Not my best."
But regardless of good marks and great marks, throwing her best and not quite throwing her best, the comfort stood out.
"Last year, I was very nervous, especially at state,even regional and district," McIntyre said. "I was very out of my mind, like very out of control, but this year I went to indoor, worked on some indoor with loud noises around me and that helped me stay in control, stay in my body to practice that."
Rootstown senior Brooklynn McIntyre demonstrates mastery of big stage
To say McIntyre was comfortable doesn't mean she was sitting on a lawn chair, sipping Gatorade and watching Guardians baseball until it was her time to throw.
Comfort doesn't erase the high stakes of a regional meet. Comfort is simply the mastery of such stress.
That mastery was clear Friday, when McIntyre meticulously paced back and forth while waiting for her turn to throw. It can be a few minutes between throws, and the senior knew exactly what to do with any nervous energy. Back and forth she went, her game face on, her steps precise.
"It keeps me in my head," McIntyre said. "It keeps me controlled and ina good mental space, so I'm not focusing on the other throws. I'm focusing on myself and what I need to do the next time I come up to throw."
What else would you expect from McIntyre, an amiable and talented three-sport athlete who has long demonstrated a certain ease off the court? During the fall, she finished fourth in kills on a 17-win volleyball team. During the winter, she averaged eight points and 7.2 rebounds as the Rovers rolled to a third straight Portage Trail Conference title.
And now she's back to doing what she has been doing since the seventh grade — throwing.
Brooklynn McIntyre's path to throwing
A gifted athlete in numerous sports, throwing is the one that McIntyre will continue in college, as she has committed to Youngstown State University.
That McIntyre — the daughter of Rootstown and Kansas State offensive lineman David McIntyre and Laci McIntyre — became a high-level athlete is no surprise.
Her throwing career, however, got off to an uneven start. After starting in seventh grade, her second season was disrupted by a pandemic. It was her third season, her freshman year of high school, when she started to get more into throwing.
"I decided to take track seriously," McIntyre said. "I started lifting heavy, started training with Matt sophom*ore year because I knew where I wanted to goforcollege."
Matt is Matt Monroe, a top thrower at Crestwood just over a decade ago who has coached McIntyre for years.
"He's helped me so much inthe past three years," McIntyre said. "He got me to where I am right now and Icouldn't be prouder."
McIntyre was also coached over the years by Joe Mackle, who recently retired as Rootstown's throws coach. With Mackle's retirement, McIntyre had someone new in her corner this year: Kasidy Smith, a member of the Class of 2021 who came back to help coach this season. McIntyre was just a freshman when Smith won her own regional championship and made the journey to state.
"It's been fun, and I get to talk to her asnot a coach, but as a friend, so that's been so helpful for me," McIntyre said. "[With] her going to state, she knows what that's like, and I've got to experience thatwithshot but not disc, and she got to experiencethatwithdiscbut notshot, so it's really fun to talk to her."
While Monroe and Smith surely have plenty of tips for McIntyre as she heads to Welcome Stadium to compete in the state discus and shot Thursday, the most important tip might be the one McIntyre has already mastered.
Be comfortable.
"Ijust haveto stay confidentin myselfand just do what I know what to do," McIntyre said. "Go in there calm and comfortable andnot worry about other people."
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Rootstown thrower Brooklynn McIntyre stays comfortable on big stage
