The three-sport athlete is also Miss Clovis.
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Loie Madsen has a lot to be proud of as she reflects on the past four years of her high school journey. The Clovis North senior has broken several records in track-and-field, won multiple titles in multiple sports, achieved excellence in academics and proven herself as a leader in the community.
What makes the journey even more special for Loie is the fact that she got to experience high school with her brother McKay. Competing alongside her sibling, who is a sophomore track-and-field star at Clovis North, the Broncos discus thrower found inspiration from their special relationship.
“The competition between us is completely healthy,” Loie said. “I do not have unrealistic expectations of magically throwing 180 feet in a meet, but I do remain proud when I place better than him in our respective events. The same goes for him. I do believe that the competition between us influences our personal grit. The best part is being there for each other on the bad days, but also being each others biggest cheerleaders when our hard work pays off.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty competitive with each other, but we know our limits,” McKay adds. “Our competitive spirit is a huge factor in our success because we treat every practice practice like a competition so then we are comfortable and prepared when it comes time to really compete.”
Transparency also plays a key role in the duo’s relationship.
“Blatant honesty. Some critiques can be rather harsh but they are necessary…most of the time,” Loie said. “We do find balance in corrections that are needed in addition to comforting words of encouragement. Every throw in practice or competition is always followed up with verbal reassurance. Either from each other, or from our amazing coach Richard Brazil, we always have someone to turn to if lost on what went wrong in a throw.”
McKay is just as grateful to have a sibling who gives him honest critique.
“I’d say we critique each other daily, most of the time playfully insulting each other with the harsh truth of what we need to improve on, while also pointing out things we wouldn’t have been able to recognize and fix in our own,” the sophomore said.
Loie recently broke a school record in discus (138.5). The previous record was held by . . . Loie.
“That broken school record was mine from last year as a junior. Breaking the school record, nonetheless, achieving a personal best does not come easy,” the senior said. “I spend many early mornings in the weight room followed up by late nights twirling in the discus ring. I would not have it any other way. The best part of my most recent previous success is just that…previous. I am foot to the pedal ready for each upcoming meet, eager and ready to break that record again.”
McKay continued to climb the state rankings in March when he set a personal best with a throw of 181.5. The star-student athlete capped his sophomore year with a second-place finish in shot put at the state championships.
“It’s definitely rewarding being able to compete and show what we’ve been working hard for with those big marks,” the standout discus thrower said.
The sophomore has emerged as a two-sport athlete, track-and-field and football, while also maintaining a 4.1 GPA. It’s a similar story for Loie. She stars in track-and-field, competition cheer and volleyball while holding a special distinction in her community.
“Never a dull moment with being a tri-sport athlete consisting of varsity volleyball, competition cheer, and my title in the Miss America scholarship organization of Miss Clovis,” Loie said. “Winning the Northern Regional Championship with my volleyball team this past year was the coolest experience. Winning Valleys with my competition cheer team was something I’ll never forget. And winning the Redondo Nike Invitational alongside my brother will forever have a place in my heart and memory.”
While Loie and McKay have consistently relied on each other for motivation, they also have plenty of other sources of support.
“Both sets of grandparents are easily able to support the both of us knowing our events are always back to back,” Loie said. “Our parents, Joshua and Tiffany Madsen, also enjoy convenience in driving to out of town meets knowing it is for a good cause of supporting two kids at once. Even my friends who come to support me will stay and support McKay just because he is so entertaining to watch. It really is fun.”
In addition to all the accolades, Loie has plenty of other reasons to smile as she reflects on her high school years.
“My favorite memories are the four hour long excursions down to Southern California — bottled up in a van for that long, just antsy to unload it all on four or six throws,” she said. “Whether we return victorious or subjugated, it is always worth it, especially with such great company.”
