Freshman Heidi Johnson competes in the long jump at the Sacramento Meet of Champions, April 30
Freshman Heidi Johnson was the only member of the track and field team to qualify for the Sacramento Meet of Champions, April 30 at American River College.
She qualified for both the long jump and the high jump.
Johnson said that because the meet was at a college, there was only a 12-foot board for the long jump instead of the usual eight-foot used for high school.
“The guy put tape down for an eight-foot board, but that was kind of weird and (felt) different, so most people – including me – just jumped from the 12-foot board,” she said.
Johnson placed 18th of 24 with a jump of 16 feet, 6.25 inches and was disappointed in the length.
“I didn’t jump very well and wasn’t getting very much speed down the (runway),” she said.
“It was really windy, but the wind was actually going in our direction, so it wasn’t a problem,” she said.
“We only got three jumps instead of the usual four because there was a finals, which I did not make.”
Johnson attributed her disappointing jump to the Reno Jazz Festival, which she had performed in the day before.
“We got in Friday night close to 11, and it was really noisy so none of us slept very (well), and then I had to leave right after the concert to make it back (in time for the meet),” she said.
On the advice of Johnson’s sports chiropractor, she scratched the high jump because of her injured left foot.
“I did get new high-jump shoes, though, which I think are going to help my high jump and my injury,” she said.
“The shoes I was jumping in before were sprint spikes and had no stability, making it easier for me to roll my ankle – so that’s good news!”
The next meet is the SacTown Races on Saturday, May 7, at Whitney High School in Rocklin.
—By Mohini Rye
