Grace Degarimore was as young as 7 when she, like many youths of her time, competed in her first meets with the now-defunct South Kitsap Track and Field Club.
Fast forward to the present, and SK High School’s hometown thrower is not only leaving as one of the best Wolves ever to hurl a discus, shot put or javelin, but as an NCAA Division 1 commit who is already within striking distance of at least one of her future school’s records.
A credible competitor in just about any activity, track quickly emerged as Degarimore’s highest calling as a three-sport athlete. Track was what she called “her safe place” above volleyball and basketball, becoming part of a throwers’ culture of equal parts positivity and competitiveness.
“I can just turn around and relax, have fun with it,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about the expectations that other people give me. I have these expectations of myself that I know I can accomplish.”
Before she was a Wolf, she was a Jaguar. During her time in the SKTFC she began learning each event but primarily spending time joining the chaos of running and jumping. She would even continue to compete in long jump and sprints in middle school before switching exclusively to throws. She half-jokingly recited the same old trope given to athletes of her kind. “I really didn’t want to run anymore.”
Yet nothing could compare to the calming but powerful feeling she got when she picked up a javelin for the first time, or rather, a safer training tool designed to improve throwing strength and technique. “They had these little Turbojavs, and I told myself I’m gonna beat all these guys here,” she chuckled. “I’m gonna throw it farther than them. That kind of just translated, and I liked it a lot.”
Grace’s mother, Kim, had the benefit of watching her daughter begin to excel even before her high school debut. “Grace is a really hard worker, so when she gets a little taste of success, then she’s all for it. She’s always very humble about it, but she wants to be the best she can be,” her mom said.
Degarimore’s best would get even better, especially after a junior year that ended so tantalizingly close to a state title in discus.
“I want to say that it was oh so horrible and that I was crying myself to sleep, but that just wasn’t the case. I was very happy with myself, and I had made incredible strides in my marks. I just had more work to do.”
Now her throws rank among the best her high school has ever seen. Kelsie Forcier’s 40-foot, 7-inch mark in the shot put in 2012 was surpassed by Degarimore at least once every year from 2022 onward. Her final record mark was 43 feet, 10.75 inches at this year’s district meet.
Angela Sampson’s discus throw of 139-foot, 5-inch mark in 2000 had already been surpassed multiple times by Degarimore throughout her senior year, but on her final attempt at state, she unleashed an absolute beauty that traveled 164 feet and 8 inches.
After crushing that old record by almost 25 feet, those watching from Utah Valley University must have joined in the double take. Not only did that throw rank among the top ones nationally, it also would have beaten the record had she been competing for her new college. Some coaches believe Olympic Trials are a possibility.
“There’s more in the tank,” coach Tami Helwig said. “She’s just in the peak, and throws like javelin take years to perfect or even to be consistent.”
