National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Photos by Joy Kamani

What a nice, satisfying scene it was, the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 29:  The pristine setting of Orange Bowl Field at the brand new Joseph C. Carter Park.  The tropical warmth of Fort Lauderdale, the air heavy with humidity and anticipation.  The sight of about 20 athletes warming up, each in their own way, about to finally get a chance to stretch it out on the triple jump runway and get some measured hop, step and jumps in – even if it was with just a 5-step approach.

And those dark, menacing clouds moving through, threatening to soak everyone in sight?  Well, you can’t have everything ... and the rain did hold off.

The point was that the kids were finally getting to do what they’d prepared for, through two Project Triple Jump clinics spread over five weeks: to put on a little bit of a “show” for Coach Peter Pratt and each other.

Now, of course these clinics – launching the third year of Project Triple Jump produced by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation – are about much more than just lining up and jumping.  In Dallas during the November gathering, getting outside and jumping just wasn’t reasonable with the unseasonable cold and freezing rain.  So it was all about the drills they could do in a a spacious hotel lobby one day and a local gym the other, and the lessons they could learn in the classroom. 

But during the recently completed Dec. 27-30 clinic, you knew the moment you stepped on Orange Bowl Field Saturday that sooner or later, there would indeed be jumping.  Or would there?  You see, Coach Pratt has a bit of a reputation for dangling jumping sessions before his athletes like a carrot on a stick, delaying the gratification and sometimes postponing it altogether.  He chuckles when asked about that at the end of the weekend, Monday morning.  “They acted like normal kids, very anxious to jump,” he said.  “They want to see what they can do and I expected them to want to be that way ... They wanted to put their spikes, they want to show their stuff.

“But it’s important that they get the techniques down and learn to do some things in the preseason, before the competition phase steps in.  So I had to tease them and delay the complete jump aspect until the end ... and they performed quite well.”

Growing group of campers; local gratitude

The campers in Fort Lauderdale included all of the program athletes, who are supported by the NSAF for the project through the final clinic in the Bahamas, coming later this year.  The second-year athletes among them include:

• Mt. Olive (N.J.) senior Keturah Orji
• El Paso Burges senior KeAndre Bates
• Columbus (Texas) junior Felicienne Axel

Orji (a Georgia commit) and Bates (undecided) were World Youth finalists in 2013 (Orji with two medals) and are top national returnees for 2014.  Axel, who claimed a Texas 3A state title and went over 40 feet as a soph, isn’t far behind.

The first-year athletes are:

• North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.) senior Darrielle McQueen
• Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) soph Chinne Okoronkwo
• Mission Oak (Talare, Calif.) soph Nashedah Mumin
• Cahokia (Ill.) soph Ja’Mari Ward
• El Paso Burges (Texas) frosh Arielle Mack

McQueen, a Florida commit, is one of the best returning girls in the country and Okoronkwo, Mumin and Ward were arguably the three best 9th-graders in the nation last spring.  And as for Mack, she was a newcomer to the sport last year as an 8th-grader who did well and has tremendous potential.

On top of that, two of the athletes who enlisted on their own for Dallas continued here: Allyson Weiss (East Ridge, Woodbury, MN 8th-grader) and Christian Cuellar (Bishop Dunne, Dallas, TX frosh). 

Locally, numerous additional athletes and coaches participated:  St. Thomas Aquinas juniors Christian Telasco and Chloe Angelini, and freshmen Jeyli Jurkauskas and Jadyn Graham; Westminster Academy junior Ebony Brown with her Coach Doria Yeaman-Rickel; Calvary Christian Academy sophomore Jordana Abugattas; and Boyd Anderson junior Shevon Phipps and Florida International University junior (and Boyd assistant) Garry Louima.

Finally, there were a pair of out-of-state newcomers in Angel Nesbitt (J.L. Mann, Greenville, SC junior) and Roberto Flores (El Dorado, TX junior).

That the event came off like it did was with great credit to those who organized and facilitated locally (and brought in some of the local athletes):  St. Thomas Aquinas Head Coach Alex Armenteros and assistants Terry Brown and Kim Smith; and Fort Lauderdale’s Carter Park staff, which included legendary local track official and Coach Johnny Alexander and Coach Serena Thomas, who is also the American Heritage girls’ head coach.

“I’d like to give a huge shout-out to Coach Alex Armenteros, Coach Brown, Coach Alexander, and Serena Thomas who was running the facility, they were so helpful and so supportive,” said Project Triple Jump Coordinator and Coach Macka Jones.  “To be able reach out to different people and come together to make this thing happen was a wonderful thing.”

The local organizers felt the bounty of the collaboration just as strongly.  “All of us were just excited that, one, it was going to be here at this facility and two, that we’d have the opportunity not only to get in some our triple jumpers, but to be able to invite triple jumpers from all over the county to participate,” said Coach Brown.  “Understanding what the Triple Jump Project is, we felt honored that it was going to be here and that we could have any part in it.  The ability for (the kids) to be here and to watch some of the tremendous jumpers from around the country is invaluable; there’s no better way for them to experience the triple jump than in this environment.”

Coaches Brown and Smith were equally thrilled to see Coach Pratt at work.  “We really can’t wait to steal some of these drills for when we officially start practice in January,” Coach Brown said.  “We saw some things yesterday and both of us were just giddy ... His world of expertise is amazing.  He is clearly gifted in his ability to teach and share.”

Professional advice

Another thing that made the weekend special was the presence of two talented young professional jumpers who got things started off on a high note Friday night: Bavon Sylvain and Fabian Florent.  Serena Thomas invited Sylvain to speak to the campers and Sylvain, in turn, offered the opportunity to training partner Florent.  Both are originally from the island country of Dominica and train in Fort Lauderdale, and both shared their stories with professionalism and enthusiasm.

Sylvain is a rising pro long jumper, competing for his home country.  His rise to prominence began as a youth high jumper in Fort Lauderdale, ascending in the club ranks during middle school and reaching 6-6 as a freshman.  Bavon said he found himself training hard all summer while his friends were having fun and things started shifting in his mind.  “With that little early success came responsibility, as far as not letting my ego get the best of me, and that’s basically what happened,” he summarized later.  “I was losing focus, thinking I had everything made and that’s where the distractions came in ... throughout rest of my high school career I went the wrong route with certain decisions.”

Bavon would become a long jumper, but his limited improvement continued through college and he eventually turned his full focus to his career, as he got his degree in finance and entered the corporate world with Wells Fargo.  Eventually, however, he “got that itch again” and wanted to give track “one last go.”  Rededicating himself to training the past few years and using all of his networking skills, Bavon found himself last summer repping Dominica in the Central American Caribbean Championships in Mexico.  “It was a high that money can’t buy,” he said, “a life-changing experience for me.”

When he tells his story, he reiterates maxims he’s incorporated into his daily life, like respecting his elders, never burning bridges, staying loyal and true to oneself and speaking into existence one’s dreams.  He said he would have loved an opportunity like Project Triple Jump when he was younger and was “more than willing to come out here and help mentor the kids, and tell my story and give them some inspiration – not only for track, but life in general.”

“It’s always inspirational when I hear somebody talk about when they came back from something ... how they conquered a great trial that they had,” said KeAndre Bates.  “I like that a lot because I believe anything’s possible ... he’s not stopping after he gave up (before).”

Florant’s story was a little more straightforward.  He competed for his home country as a junior, starred as a collegian at Lindenwood University and then Missouri State, and now represents his mother’s home country, The Netherlands, in international competition.  He has ranked among the top 20 in the world in the triple jump with a PR of 55-4.5. 

“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” said Florant of the Project.  “If I’d had this opportunity as a youth, I’d be way ahead.  They are very fortunate to have a coach with that much knowledge and experience in the development stage of their career ... I think the program is going to yield some really good talent and, long-term-wise, that’s really going to help the event in the U.S. ... we’re going to see a lot more USA triple jumpers on the map.”

He was excited about the opportunity to speak to the campers because, he said, “I felt like I could always give some information and pass on all the valuable experience and knowledge I’ve learned over my years as a professional jumper ... I thought it would be a good initiative to come in here and give something back to the community and to the kids.”  He emphasized planning, goal-setting, taking care of one’s body, making good college and coach choices, and taking advantage of opportunities like the Project.

“For them to come out here and be able to just give back and talk to the kids,” said Coach Jones, “they said they’ve never seen a camp like this and they wished they’d had something like that.  They wished they’d had someone at their level talking to them when they were at that age.  They loved it and we loved having them.

Team bonding

One notable thing about the Dallas clinic in November is how quickly and completely the whole group came together, behaving and acting like a close-knit team rather than just a gathering of like-minded athletes from all parts of the country.  In Fort Lauderdale, it was more of the same.  The 10 overall returnees from Dallas in particular came together, and the first-time participants from both near and far gravitated toward the core as well.

“It’s been great,” said Darrielle McQueen, who has become the unofficial team captain and liaison between the group and the coaches/staff.  “I was anticipating this trip so much after I left Texas.  I had kept in contact with some of my teammates and when it was a day or two out, we kept texting each other, saying ‘It’s just a couple days away!’ ... When we got here it was a burst of excitement when we finally saw each other.”

“I missed them in-between (Dallas and her),” said Nashedah Mumin.  “We’re a big ol’ family now.”  Added Allyson Weiss, “It’s really fun getting to meet people from all over the country and jumping with people who have gone to worlds and have PRs that are in the 50s.”

Roberto Flores, with the Project for the first time, laughed and shook his head.  “I never met a bunch of people with such colorful personalities, their personalities are out there.  It’s nice to get out of El Paso and see who’s out there.”

Another dynamic addition to the group was Jamison “Jamie” Pratt, the coach’s son who is a senior at South Haven Christian Academy in Nassau.  He had come up a long jumper, but it was never until last spring that he actually tried the triple for the first time.  “I was basically a long jumper.  I never thought of triple jump, it was like it was too hard,” he said.  “But I know the concepts, I know the basics, the technique ... so I just did it and I was like, wow, and I fell in love with it.”

Jamie was an instant 44-footer, and it’s been full steam ahead since.  The thing was, father and son kept Jamie’s coming to Ft. Lauderdale a secret.  Even though Jamie wasn’t triple jumping last March during the Bahamas Clinic, he was still around, so when 2nd-year athletes KeAndre, Keturah Orji and Fay Axel first saw him Friday, it was like a surprise reunion ... not to mention that Jamie has grown several inches the past year.

Coach Pratt’s wry sense of humor emerges when talking about his son.  “With Jamison, I am thinking, he knows more than me ... at least that’s what he thinks.  He’s been around track and field since he was in diapers and he knows what to do.  There’s a little thing between he and I ... that he wants to do the triple jump now, he just did the long jump previously ... he wanted to do triple jump all along, he was just afraid of it.”

“Jamie’s a character,” said KeAndre with a laugh.

“It was fun meeting good friends, they showed me a lot, they showed me what they can do, and how far they actually are,” added Jamie, “their talents are really good ... they showed my daddy some stuff.”

“As far as them all jelling together, I think that’s the most beautiful thing about this camp,” said Coach Jones, “because we’re trying to create a culture and they’re all like-minded ... they all want to be good triple jumpers.  We’re just getting bigger and bigger ... I’m really excited to see what will happen in the Bahamas.  It seems like they’ve known each other for years.”

More training, finally some jumping

Like the first clinic, the weekend was a mixture of workouts, classroom instruction and video sessions – the latter comprised of the athletes watching both footage of themselves filmed earlier in the day and that of the all-time national and global elites throughout the past 20-plus years (Coach Jones’ personal video library has most of the Olympic and World champs, and world record setters of recent decades).

Coach Pratt finessed the sessions so that there was a moderate amount of repetition from Dallas – allowing the newest athletes to catch up somewhat – while still keeping things fresh, new and ever-advancing for the veterans.

The returning athletes had worked on what they had learned in Dallas during the five weeks prior to Fort Lauderdale – depending on individual factors like availability of facilities, the stages of their various seasons in their respective states, and other sports they might be involved in.  A few athletes, such as Arielle Mack and Nashedah, for example, had been involved in volleyball and/or basketball.  The kids talked about core and abdominal work, drills and other things they’d been doing.  “I went out to the track almost every day,” said Chinne Okoronkwo, “and worked on things that the coaches had told me about ... and I used skills we learned on doing work inside, and put that to work.”

Then, Sunday before lunch, Coach Pratt finally let on that the day would include a mid-late afternoon jumping session.  After lunch, they first moved to the classroom, but then the athletes were finally told to hit the field and engage in their individual warmup routines.  It had rained a little earlier and the skies were threatening, but the jumping session went off without an outbreak.

Finally getting to the runway and pit provided some fascinating revelations.  A few of the local athletes were almost completely new to the event and their first efforts were greeting with enthusiasm from their teammates. 

Among the program athletes, the 9th-grader Arielle impressed by jumping more than 36 feet, beating her PRs from last summer – and this not only with a 5-step approach, but from an athlete who has been engaged in fall volleyball and winter hoops.  Her showing underscored why the NSAF selected her in the first place: Physical talent and potential. 

“I did better than I thought I would,” she said later.  “My goal (for 2014) was 36, but not any more ... I guess now it’s 37-38.”  The other youngsters also showed that big things will be ahead this spring, with Ja’Mari Ward perhaps impressing the most.  Some, like Felicienne, were nursing mild injuries; others, like Chinne, were trying new approaches.

The veterans looked good, too.  Keturah, after appearing reluctant to unleash on the 5-step approaches, got rolling and hit 41-6 – a mark further than any prep has done so far this winter.  “I was real excited to actually jump,” she said later.  “It tells me I’ve gotten a lot better.  Last year in the Bahamas I jumped only 34 feet (with 5-step approach).”

KeAndre hit almost 46 feet.  “I felt happy about what I jumped,” he said.  “It was pretty exciting and it was fun.”

And the athletes helped each other out there.  “I felt better, still need some work on step phase,” said Jamie.  “I was talking to  KeAndre and he was just like, just run off the board and I did that, and I felt myself going further ... and with more control.  Even though I broke down, I still picked myself up ... when I break down, I (usually) can’t pick myself up.”

“It was great,” said Coach Jones.  “I’m so excited for this upcoming season for these kids.  We were pleasantly surprised and I can tell by the looks of their performances how excited they were; they were surprised as well.”

Then, after the weekend ended with one more video and classroom session, it was great to hear what everyone learned – especially some of the first-timers.

“I learned some techniques that Coach Jones hadn’t shown me and refreshed myself with other things he taught me,” said Roberto.

Said Ebony Brown, “It’s nice to compete with someone who jumps 44-11, like that’s insane ... and it’s cool to be around people who jump 51 and 40, because I see what they do, how they warm up, how they compete ... and then I can do it and hopefully jump as far as them.”

And from Garry Louima, speaking as both a collegiate athlete and a high school assistant coach:  “It was a really amazing experience ... I knew a little bit, but I realized there’s so much more to learn ... like patience with your athletes, that there’s more than one way to do things and that you have to cater it to them and get everybody else better at their own pace.”

Athletes were left with what they wanted to work on in the weeks ahead and big goals for 2014:  Second phases and landings ... 3-4 foot improvements and state titles ... World Junior or Youth Olympic teams ... it’s all in front of them.

Darrielle summed it up well when she said, “I’m ready to see some improvement in my jumps, see all my hard work come into play.”

Looking forward to the Bahamas

Coach Pratt gave a preview of what athletes can expect when they finally come to his home country later this year:  “The intensity will definitely be up compared to the intensity that we had down here in Ft. Lauderdale.  And everything will be at a quicker pace in Nassau, once the kids do their work at home ... Some of them will already have some competitive experience and then it will be ... fine tuning, we haven’t touched on fine tuning and preparation to the board, take off, and we haven’t really worked on landing ... There’s a whole lot more to work on, especially during the competition phase.”

As for Coach Jones, he’s looking forward to the great weather, beach training and the great cuisine, but also “the way the kids come in and get to interact with the Bahamian athletes  ... the culture of track and field in the Bahamas has really opened up my eyes ... and the kids need to see that what they’re doing is important.”