Gaining popularity in Scotland during the early 19th century and making it all the way into the first modern Olympic games, high jump, an event in Track and Field, has made a recent breakthrough. More and more athletes have been participating in the event during the past few years, especially at Westfield.
The high jump event is when a competitor takes off, without the help of others, from one foot to another over a four-meter-long horizontal bar, resting three feet or above.
Each competitor has three attempts per height to clear the bar, but competitors can pass on jumping a height if they choose to go up to a higher one. Three consecutive failures at clearing one height will result in elimination. Failures include jumping at a height lower than the bar and knocking down the bar from its resting point. For athletes protection, a cushioned mat is added underneath the bar to prevent injury if a fall were to occur.
High jump began at Westfield when the Track and Field team was first established. Now, the program currently has eight participants, five being girls and three being boys.
Mirjana Banic, the jumping coach at Westfield, explained, “I just look to help and assist in making the athletes reach their potential and goals. I work on creating a fun atmosphere that is also challenging. Every year, we manage to have decent, competitive jumpers.”
One of the most advanced and competitive jumpers the program has seen is senior Gabby Demeter. She is committed to Davidson Track and Field, and this past winter, Demeter was a Group 4 state champion in the high jump. Also, at the Blue Devil Classic track meet this past weekend, Demeter tied the school record set in 1989 by jumping a height of 5’6’’. This jump put Demeter at number one in the high jump rankings for New Jersey.
Demeter explained, “I got into high jump honestly as a joke, but after a while, doing it gave me a good break from running, and it was so nice. I loved it because I was less nervous when competing in it, and it was just a really fun event. I also got a lot of confidence from it after I started becoming good at it.”
The remainder of this season for the high jumpers at Westfield is going to be competitive, but each participant is looking to jump into it with high hopes and a strong attitude.
