Bigfork senior Sam Ayers is tough to slow down

Sam Ayers has been an integral part of the Bigfork cross-country team since he moved to the school district in his freshman year. His positive attitude has helped him overcome obstacles, including bouncing back from surgery to correct his chest cavity.  

Ayers grew up in Seeley Lake, but his family made the move to Bigfork to give him more opportunities after graduation. He needed help with math and his speech, and his mother heard Bigfork’s special education team was excellent.  

Ayers was already involved with cross-country at his middle school in Seeley Lake, so he saw it as an avenue to start making new friends at Bigfork. It was hard at first, he said, but he soon met the teammates who would become his close friends over the next four years.  

Cross-country races mostly consist of running 5Ks and the team travels across Northwest Montana during its season, running on golf courses and trails. Ayers said he enjoys the sport because it’s scenic and he gets to meet new people from other schools. 

The cross-country coaches also do their part to make races and training runs fun. 

“We would do awards, but they would make it fun. They would take some of us camping before the cross-country season starts ... and the coaches would also run with us on hard workouts,” Ayers said.  

Ayers was one of the team’s top varsity runners by his junior year, according to Ryan Nollan, Bigfork’s school psychologist and head cross-country coach. He said there’s a toughness to Ayers they noticed immediately.  

During his first track meet as a freshman, he kept vomiting mid-race. 

"Like on all fours, just throwing up. And we were like, ‘Hey, let's be done.’ And he's like, ‘Nope’ and gets back up off the ground and finishes the race. So just that toughness and willingness ... he's one of the faster students contributing to our team,” Nollan said.  

But that toughness was put to the test his sophomore year when he decided to have surgery to correct a dip in his chest cavity. 

Ayers said a doctor identified that his chest was a little bit concave right before they made the move to Bigfork. He went on to see two more doctors who suggested getting his chest checked out further.  

Dr. Rona Norelius, a pediatric surgeon at Logan Health, started by measuring his chest cavity and doing a CT scan to identify how much room was in his chest. Ayers said his breastbone was “funky” right in the middle, which could have gone on to affect breathing and cause heart issues. 

Despite this limitation, Ayers said he never noticed any issues breathing in all his years running before the surgery.  

“One of the doctors thought, ‘Well, it could be your body is accustomed to it over the years,’ so that would make sense as to why I didn't really notice it,” Ayers said.  

To correct the dip in his chest, Ayers would have to get a metal bar put in. His doctors told him it would be best to get the surgery done while he was young as it can be more invasive for adults, including cracking ribs to get to the affected area.  

Still, he said it was not an easy decision. 

“I talked to my parents first, but I actually prayed on it a whole lot, asking God questions about whether or not I should get this done. I just felt like the Lord was saying, ‘I think you should probably get this fixed, just to help your running.’ So, after communion one Sunday at church, I told my parents," Ayers said.  

He had surgery in January of his sophomore year. It was hard to walk and stand up at first, he said, but by May he was running with the track team, and by fall, it was business as usual with his cross-country team. 

“I was coming home from a physical therapy appointment, and I was really itching to go out on a run. I told my mom, ‘I think I might try to go out on a run,’ and I wasn't sure how long I was going to run, but on that day, I did 3 miles out of nowhere,” Ayers said.  

He will get the metal bar removed from his chest this summer, which Ayers said makes him feel both nervous and excited. He doesn’t notice the bar, but said it will be nice to not have anything in his body following the surgery.  

It’s another milestone for the Bigfork senior as he prepares to graduate. When it comes to future goals, Ayers said he’ll be looking for a summer job, but hopes he’ll have enough spare time to come back and help coach cross-country.  

“I'm hoping he's going to be an assistant coach for us, if he's got the time, whatever job he figures out he's going to do,” Nollan said. “But it’ll be great if he can come back and do that. He just cares so much about people, he's always speaking about people and going up and congratulating them.”  

Nollan said sports can give students a place to belong, where they can connect with other kids they may normally not encounter at school. The team Ayers has been a part of is “so much fun,” Nollan said, always getting together outside of school -- having game nights and going on runs. 

“For teams to be fun and gel with each other, it takes all sorts of characters and personalities. Sam has a big one,” Nollan said. “He's just been a great addition. We're really going to miss him.” 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.