By Gary Van Cleave 

BUCKLIN - He flies through the air with the greatest of ease and rarely scrapes the hurdle with his legs.

 

“His form is near perfect while everyone else around him looks like they gotta fully jump over them. He just smoothly glides over,” Bucklin High’s Grayson Alvarado, who throws the shot, discus and javelin, said.

 

“Lucas has always been a good hurdler, but this year he looks like he has found another gear,” Bucklin track coach Trever Powell said of standout hurdler Lucas Kirk. “He looks like he is accelerating through the entire race. All his hard work and training over the years is paying off and he is having a great season so far.”

 

Kirk, running track next year at Fort Hays State, is the KGNO Radio April Athlete of the Month.

 

“Means a lot because there are lots of great athletes around and to be selected means a lot,” Kirk said of the honor.

 

Kirk is a six-time state medalist, but he’s still after that elusive gold medal which he’s after in a few weeks.

 

“I’m more than ready to give it my best effort this year for sure,” Kirk said.

 

Kirk’s state medals include a bronze (110 hurdles), fourth in 4x1, fifth in the 300 hurdles, sixth in 4x4, seventh in 300 hurdles and eighth in 4x4.

 

“One of the best in the state, I think his times speak for themselves,” former Bucklin standout Nathan Bowman said. “Also one of the toughest and hardest-working kids I’ve ever met.”

 

“He’s always been a fast runner, but this year it feels like he’s just taken it to another level,” teammate Kolson Cook, the March Athlete honoree, said.

 

Kirk owns the Red Ace school record in the 300 hurdles. He ran a 38.56 time at Ashland, beating the previous best of 39.40 set in 1980.

 

“It means the world to me. That’s something that is super special and it can’t be taken from you,” Kirk said. “It’s something I always wanted to accomplish when I was younger and to see it happen means so much to me.”

 

Kirk’s start to that record-breaking race felt great, he said.

 

“I felt like I got out clean. Towards the middle of the race I still felt confident as everything was going super well,” Kirk said. “The last part is when I really realized I had a chance to do it. I had no idea how close it was gonna be but the race felt great and I was still running hard so I knew I had a good shot for sure.”

 

“He’s really stepped up his game and has really put in the work more than ever this year,” Aiden Haskell said. “He runs his race with such a smooth yet powerful stride.”

 

He snared first team all-state football twice as well as multiple all league and district selections. He finished tied for the school’s single-season interception record of six. In basketball he added all-state to his never-ending accomplishments.

 

“Lucas has worked his tail off for years and it is starting to really come to light,” Powell said. “Speed grows like a tree, you feed it often for it to grow little by little. One of the biggest things I think has helped him is in our summer workouts, we prioritize speed training. That is our main focus before we hit the weight room.”

 

“Great hurdlers are never content with a time. They’re always striving to shave off time wherever they can,” Kirk said.

 

Bowman, now attending Kansas State, keeps in close contact with Kirk.

 

“i think it’s a mix of his pure athleticism but also really good coaching. Mrs. Bev Birney is one of the best coaches in the state and I think Lucas can attest to that,” lBowman said. “It seems to be like he barely breaks a stride when going over the hurdles, it’s almost effortless for him.”

 

“My biggest inspiration has got to be my hurdle coach, coach Doug Wilson,” Kirk said. “I don’t go see him very often. But when I do it’s super beneficial and he’s always open and honest about what I should be fixing. He was a great hurdler back when he used to run. He’s meant a lot. He provides me with the best tips on how to cut even the smallest amounts of time that add up a lot throughout the course of a race.”

 

Kirk is eager to begin his college journey as a Tiger.

 

“As a kid, I always dreamed of being a collegiate athlete, but I always thought it would be in football,” he said. “But it truly does mean the world to me to be able to take that next step.”

 

“He has not missed a single workout in junior high or high school,” Powell said. “When you show up and work hard day after day, good things will start to happen. Consistency and discipline are concepts that are hard for a lot of high school kids to grasp because they take a lot of work. Lucas not only understands those concepts, he embodies them every day.”