Meet # 10 - Freshmen & Sophomore Meet in Waunakee
Last night's meet was absolutely AMAZING.
The freshmen and sophomores stepped up in a big way, and did some really great things at the jumps pits.
I'd like to start with going over the boys's performances.
In the triple we took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th! I know there were only 8 competitors in the event, but I was extremely proud with my jumpers and their performances!
The athlete that took first place really impressed me! Blake came to me at practice on Wednesday (day before the meet) and mentioned he noticed an open spot in triple on the lineup. He then asked if he could try it to which I said "no". He continued his persistence, to which I finally said "OK" and took him to our lesser-used sand pit and started working on drills. For his first time ever jumping in a competition, Blake performed admirably and has now put himself in position to compete in some very competitive meets moving forward!
The other jumpers weren't as happy with their results, but I was! They are young. The triple jump takes time. The experience and repetition needed in the event is immense. Their numbers are much better than they think, and are putting them in a good place to be 40 foot jumpers as juniors. This sets them up nicely for a (potential) competitive senior season!
In the long jump, the boys competed just as well going 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th out of 26 competitors. I was EXCEPTIONALLY happy with them!
The work ethic and growth of these young jumpers is incredibly impressive. They are hungry. They want to be the best. They don't fear the board, and bounce back quickly if a jump doesn't go as planned. This group is special, and is going to do some serious damage moving forward!
The 2nd place athlete already has our freshmen long jump record and is working on breaking the sophomore one as well. The 5th place jumper set a new PR by 6" and is still figuring things out. With a little bit of additional work, he had the potential to beat Owen's freshmen record! The 6th place jumper is the same one that won the triple jump, and is setting himself up to be an absolute STUD moving forward. The 7th place jumper is so fast that if he learns how to transition from being a runner to being a jumper better he'll jump HUGE numbers (work in progress). Lastly, the 8th place jumper is better than he knows, and is setting himself up to have a really special rest of this year (along with his junior and senior season).
Needless to say...I'm just a little excited about this group of young men!
The girls competed very well too!
In the long jump I was extremely proud of the jumps. One of the athletes is new this year and moved here from another country. She has performed really well, and had another strong night at the pits.
Another jumper just came back from a stress fracture. Her being able to jump was extremely exciting for me! She didn't jump what she was hoping (and was upset by her numbers). I had a conversation with her about the importance of patience after an injury, and I think she better understood what to expect moving forward. It's a process...
The other three are young and need to work on landings and approaches, but ALL did very well!!!
In the triple jump, one girl set another personal record for herself (3rd time this year), and is getting very close to her goal of 30'!
The other two athletes haven't jumped much this season, and are still figuring things out. They both jumped solid 27'+ jumps that could lead to the 30's by season's end. They have a LOT of potential!!!
As a track team we competed very well! Our freshmen and sophomore athletes are going to be DOMINANT moving forward and we couldn't be prouder or more excited (giggles ensue).
TOMORROW
We have another meet in Neenah, WI. We got rained out there last year, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to have our athletes compete against some teams we generally compete against. Gonna be fun!!!