What if I told you that one of the Nation's top athletes enjoys collecting carts as a summer job?
"It's fun for me and it helps keep my mind off of my whole life being track," says Bryce Ruland, WIAA State Champion in discus and national record holder.
We first met Bryce a year ago, as he was heading into his junior year of high school with high hopes.
"My goal for this upcoming year is definitely to break 200 feet in discus because that would just be crazy to me in my mind. For shot put I would love to be in the mid-50s. 55 to 58 range would be great," Bryce said back in 2022.
Today, Bryce heads into work at Home Depot, a 2023 Discus State Champion and National High School Record Holder with a throw of 213 feet and 9 inches.
"They were goals that I thought were lofty at the end of last year. To go out there and beat them, it was a good feeling," says Bryce.
Still competing throughout the summer, Bryce has also reached the 50s in shotput.
"It's been crazy. I mean it's almost every weekend we have had a meet since school ended," says Bryce.
Going into his senior year, a Nike-sponsored athlete, trying to decide where to spend the next four years of his career, maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise that Bryce enjoys the simplicity of a summer job.
"I move the carts around in the lot out here and bring them back into the store and then help people load up their cars sometimes," says Bryce. "It's a nice summer job, I mean I love it here everyone is so nice, and don't have to worry about anything just go do my job."
Sometimes collecting carts, not records, is exactly what a champion needs.
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