Track athlete qualifies for state after loss of loved one

A budding track and field star from Clintonville, Jamie Rohan made history while still in sixth grade, as she was the first Clintonville middle school student to qualify for the state competition in the 1600-meter run.

Jamie found out she had qualified for the event with a heavy heart, as her great-grandfather, Jerry Strong, an impactful member of the Clintonville community and a field service engineer for Seagrave for 40 years, had passed away on the same day.

Jamie qualified fourth overall in the 1600m, which accepts only the top 10 in the state and competed on May 24 at the state championships in Waupun.

“I was nervous but also proud of myself for making it. I knew the competition was tough, so I had to really prepare leading up to the day of the meet.”

A special bond was shared between Jamie and her great-grandfather, as Jerry gave her advice that she carried with her as she competed, “He meant a lot to me and he’s why I placed at state. He gave me advice. I found out I qualified right after I got the news that he passed away, so it was tough to balance all of that. I wanted to run in honor of him. I wore a Seagrave trinket on the day of my race as something to bring me peace and kind of carry him with me.”

Jamie’s mother Samantha Rohan, on Jerry’s commitment to his work and community, “Over the last few days, many men with Seagrave background spoke to me of his ability to fix anything on the fire trucks and how they aspired to be as knowledgeable and capable as he was. His love for Seagrave makes it even more bittersweet for Jamie to represent the Clintonville Truckers during her sports seasons. He was also an Army veteran and true patriot of our country.”

At the state meet Jamie finished fourth, and set a new personal best with a time of 5 minutes and 56 seconds.

Jamie’s experience at state exceeded her expectations, “It felt awesome and it was really fun. It was the most fun race of my life. A lot of my family and one of my coaches showed up to cheer me on. It was a really special moment.”

With a bright future in the sport, Jamie, looks forward to what’s to come for her in distance running, “It’s something I’m good at and something I enjoy doing. I do well with distance races, so the longer the distance, the better I seem to perform.”

Samantha explains the lasting influence Jerry will have on Jamie, “they had an incredible bond. Grandpa was a very gruff man, with few people he melted for. But she was one of them. Growing up she would frequently visit their house and she would crawl up into his recliner with him every time, and snuggle while he dozed off. He would play board games with her, show her his projects, and cook his famous burgers on the grill whenever he knew she’d be coming. He adored her, and she him.”

“He would always be smiling and laughing when they were around each other, and it was a beautiful bond to witness. He loved hearing about her races and how she did, she would proudly show him her medals and awards from her previous cross-country season, and he was always so proud of her. One of the last things he said to her was, you get out there and you run.”