If a thing happens once, it’s a thing.

If it happens twice, that thing becomes more than a thing. It becomes a statistical tendency.

And if it happens a third time, well, that’s what social scientists call a pattern.

According to cognitive psychology theorists and what they call the “Rule of 3,” Snake River star Paetyn Polatis fits squarely in Category 2.

Just kidding. Polatis is rewriting the Rule of 3 wherever and whenever she laces her spikes, most recently this past weekend at the USA Track and Field Region 11 Junior Olympics event in Pocatello.

Polatis won the 800-meter run for her club team, High Desert Track and Field, and ranks first for High Desert this season in the 200, 400, 800, high jump, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles (inhale), 400 hurdles, javelin, long jump and heptathlon.

That 800 win is the fastest (2 minutes, 21.85 seconds) in the history of the USATF Region 11 event.

But that’s nothing compared to what happened in Eugene, Oregon, on the summer solstice. Polatis clocked a 1:04.34 in the 400 hurdles at the Nike Outdoor Nationals & USATF U20 Championships on that June day, placing sixth and earning her All-American status.

In all, Polatis has set eight high school personal bests this spring, and has kept banging that improvement drum with eight more club personal bests for High Desert.

You want to talk about the Rule of 3 with your fancy-pants social studies degree? Try the Rule of 8.

“Consistency plays a huge role in my success,” Polatis said of the continuous and steady improvement. “It’s hard sometimes finding time to train the way I need to, but doing so even when it’s difficult helps me progress.”

Polatis is entering her senior season at Snake River, and ranks first all-time at the school in the 400 (58.09 seconds), 800 (2:17.90), 1,600 (5:23), 300 hurdles (44.46) and javelin (103 feet, 10 inches). She also anchored school-record runs in the 4x800 (10:03.33) and sprint medley relay (SMR) (1:52.67).

While many track and field athletes start specializing as they approach graduation, Polatis has gone the other direction.

Already the best mid-distance runner in school history and the top runner on Snake River’s girls cross-country team, Polatis has worked to become an accomplished heptathlete.

She scored 4,434 in the seven-event heptathlon to place second at the Pocatello meet, scoring individual wins in both the high jump and 800.

It has been a busy summer for the Panthers’ senior, with five meets between the end of May and the July 9-11 event in Pocatello. But Polatis wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I truly love running. It’s stress relief for me,” Polatis said. “It takes a lot of time, but I get a ton back from cross country and track and field. I have learned how to continue when everything seems to fall apart. How to love and believe in myself. I have also gained many amazing friends along the way.”

Despite her demanding schedule of events, Polatis finds time to build those relationships, offering advice, support and high-fives when appropriate.

Because at the end of the day and the end of the race, Paetyn Polatis is not a school record or a personal best or even a personal worst.

“My worth isn’t connected to my results in any way,” she said. “On my best day and on my worst day, I am still Paetyn. A bad time can’t take who I am away, and if anything, helps me be who I want to be.”