Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
MessageReportBlock
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds
 

Folders

The Originator Has ReturnedMar 1st 2011, 3:43pm
The 1st state of the U.S.A.Oct 28th 2010, 5:02pm
What Made the jumper out of me…Sep 20th 2010, 12:45pm
Finding The MechanismAug 30th 2010, 5:07pm
 

 

What Made the jumper out of me…

Published by
dex jr   Sep 20th 2010, 12:45pm
Comments

I have been asked many times how long I have been a participant of track and field, and a lot of people are astonished to find out I only did one season in high school. My journey to the track was unlikely and very sudden, but all in all here’s my story…

To be quite honest track and field was one of those things that kind of fell on me. All my life I was a basketball player, I played the game since I was 8 years old and I took to the sport like a lion to its prey. I lived basketball, I breathed basketball, if it was on t.v. I did everything in my power to watch and improve my game. I continued this through middle school playing for AAU teams in the summer as well as PAL teams during the school year. I didn’t play for my school either, they wanted to switch the position I played from shooting guard to point guard, and I didn’t want that. Even up until high school this trend continued with playing all year around basketball, all until the summer going into my senior year, which changed my life forever.

Pick up games are a great way to toughen you up, because street basketball makes you play with aggression, and you play with everybody. This particular summer going into my senior year I figured I would do a quick pick up game to polish my skills before college visits, and this is when I rolled my ankle. Yes indeed, a very heart breaking injury because it put me in a boot, and kept me from playing during my college visits for that summer. Never the less that wasn’t the end of me I made a come back. Once I healed I played relentlessly, but the love for the game died with that injury, playing basketball wasn’t the same anymore. I needed a new sport, and I couldn’t figure out what it was because I was somewhat good at everything, but I didn’t like playing everything.

One day during gym class I had a dunk contest with a guy who was 6’6” and I jumped roughly a 2 feet in front of the free-throw line and dunked the ball with ease. Little did I know the track coach was in the corner of the gym and saw this and approached me about trying out for the team, and I figured I might as well which was the best choice of my life. I was a senior year phenomena (100 – 10.75 200 – 21.9  LJ – 21’ 11” TJ – 47’ 1”). Won a state championship in the Triple Jump, helped my team to multiple championships, and continued the conference unbeaten streak. It was my true calling, It came to me with ease, it was something I was naturally gifted at, and I did very well, and in return it gave me a scholarship to college.

College is where I took more to jumping than sprinting, becoming a feared but respected jumper. My freshman year was a break out season becoming an All-American at USATF Junior Nationals, having only been jumping for 2 years so far, and the trend of winning became a habit. I went on to win 8 team conference championships in the MAAC Conference, an individual IC4A Championship, countless meet championships, and to put the cherry on top an individual Penn Relays Triple Jump Championship. But above all the one accolade that means the most to me happened in 2008.

My senior year was outstanding, never leaving the top 10 ranking in the country for the triple jump. I dieted, I worked out, I practiced all with one goal in mind and that was to qualify for the USA Olympic Trials. I wanted to represent the USA that year and the season I had showed that. From indoor to outdoor I got better peaking at all the right times every gear of the machine at work with one goal in mind, to get to Eugene. I hit the qualifying mark and I was ranked in the top 25 in the USA and all I had to do was stay healthy, which to my dismay didn’t happen.

You know when you’re practicing and you feel like you can do anything? You’re in such great shape, everything is clicking and you decide to push it a little harder… Well here’s a tidbit, practice is to fine tune and competitions are for pushing the limits. I pulled my hamstring during practice and it kept me out. All that I worked for came crumbling down, all the hard work, all the dieting, but guess what still remains I am one of few that can say they have qualified and/or even reached that level.

I have reached the level of Elite Athlete.

So when it’s all said and done always keep your eyes on the prize, work hard and strive for the goal, because literally ANYTHING IS POSSILBE.

-BV

HashtagsNone
 
History for dex jr
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2011     90 1
2010 8   373 3
HashtagsNone