Many small-town high school athletes dream of participating in college athletics once their prep careers are over.
For RJ Perry, the hometowns don’t come much smaller, but his short-term goals and college dreams remain big.
The Great Plains Lutheran senior has been one of the top track and field throwers in the state in the shot put and discus events, and the Bruce, S.D. native knows that he has his work cut out for him as he approaches the state meet in less than two weeks.
“We’ve got some really good throwers in Class A this year,” Perry said.
Perry has been one of those good throwers throughout this season. He is currently eighth in the shot put and fifth in the discus among the Class A Track and Field Leaders. Perry credits his training as the key to this season’s success.
“Lots of work in the offseason going to camps and watching a lot of YouTube videos,” Perry said. “I also have a great coach here at GPL and he can’t be there all the time due to his job and whatnot, but he’s a great coach.”
Perry also says that he coaches himself through videos and workouts he does during the offseason.
“I pride myself on my self-coaching too,” Perry said. “I lift a lot in the offseason, but lots and lots of reps, and just working on the little things, pride myself, and confidence.”
Perry has also competed in football, basketball, and wrestling during his high school career, and says that football is his favorite sport. His work in both football and track and field has caught the attention of college coaches, and the senior has welcomed a few athletic offers since last summer.
“Over the summer I went to a lot of showcase camps and different linemen camps, but I had an offer to go play at Dakota Wesleyan and then I had an offer to go play at Valley City State. So those were my two offers going into the (football) season,” Perry said.
However, after leaning towards a public college, Perry received another offer from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., after setting up a meeting with the school’s new head football coach. Almost immediately, Perry was drawn to the school and the athletic programs MLC offered.
“I felt that he valued me more as a person and not so much just as a number on the football field, and you gotta look ahead to see what’s after football” Perry said.
Perry saw that the college was looking at more than just athletics and knew that Martin Luther was the right choice for him.
“One of the things that I’ve heard in talking to more people from Martin Luther (is that they) care more about turning you into a better man overall. They care more about your spiritual life,” Perry said. “Yeah, they still want to win games and make you a better football player, but they care more about your life off the football field than just you on the field.”
Once at Martin Luther, Perry is planning on studying secondary and physical education, along with a minor in coaching, and hoping to have a Minnesota teaching license and teach at a public school or a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod school.
Although he will be leaving the town of Bruce (population of around 200), Perry says he still enjoys the small-town atmosphere and looks forward to representing it while in college.
“I love it. I love small towns,” Perry said. “I’m not a huge fan of big cities, and (I’m) a small-town guy. I love Bruce. It’s a great town and a great community.”
But before he leaves for college, there are still goals to accomplish for Perry as he gears up for the state track and field meet.
“Overall, at the state level, I’d say I want to place in the top three in both events,” Perry said of the shot put and discus, “but I’ve got a lot of work to do to get there.”
