SALUTE TO SENIORS: Connor Fugere, Woonsocket

Woonsocket's Connor Fugere has consistenly been one of the most talented and versatile athletes in the state when it comes to the weight events. Fugere won the state indoor crown in the shot put this past winter with a personal-best heave of 54 feet, 3.75 inches. He's also has impressive bests of 203-1 in the hammer, 147-6 in the javelin, 65-4.25 in the 25-pound weight and 141-3 in the discus.

What would you consider the highlight of your high school career?

As funny as it sounds, the highlight of my high school career would be signing with my college, Northeastern. I joined track on a whim and four years later I am now fortunate enough to compete on a collegiate level.

What was your most memorable performance?

My most memorable performance would have to be Indoor States my junior year.  I was competing in the shot put and went into finals ranked sixth. During the finals, I had a huge improvement and managed to take second in the state.  The crowd was with me and the energy level was just insane. 

What was your most difficult obstacle to overcome?

Something I struggled with the most, and still do to this day is patience.  When you’re in a slump, it feels like you’re never going to come out of it.  But as the years progressed, I learned that those days are inevitable and you just need to deal with them.

What advice would you give to younger athletes?

The most important thing I tell to all underclassmen is to just listen to your coach.  As much as you may think that you know about your craft, odds are the coach knows 100 times more.  So just keep quiet and do it.

What will you miss most?

I will definitely miss my coach, teammates, and fellow competitors.  We’ve all grown pretty close in the past few years so it’ll be sad to go separate ways.

What are your future plans?

I plan to major in chemical engineering and hope to become a material scientist.  I will also be competing throughout college and may continue afterwards.

What influence has your coach (or coaches) had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?

I would not be anywhere I am today without my throws coach; honestly.  He has been there through everything whether sports related or not.  He has become a second father to me and is one of my main role models.

Who would you like to say Thank You?

I would like to thank the coaches at my school, especially Marc Piette.  He has gone above and beyond for me and I owe him so much.  Also, thank you to his wife, Deb, for being just as supportive.  Whether it be putting up with late practices or cooking/baking for the team during long meets,: you’re awesome.  Finally, of course I need to thank my parents for becoming track supporters.  I know track may be a hard sport to get into, especially when it’s newly introduced to the family, but they have come around to like it (I think) and have supported me 100 percent.

Connor Fugere's profile