Tracing back to the early Olympic games in Ancient Greece, long jump has always been an admired sport where competitors try to cover the farthest distance possible. The start of the sport consisted of participants carrying weights in each hand, swinging them forward on take off and letting go during the middle of the jump to increase momentum and to reach the maximum distance.
The sport has been modified for today’s generation of athletes. Now, competitors sprint along a runway and jump to the best of their abilities to try and get as far as possible into a pit of sand. The distance traveled by the competitor from the start of the sandpit, marked by a wooden plank, to wherever they land in the sandpit will be calculated as their score. Each participant has a set number of attempts to achieve maximum distance. All valid attempts will be recorded, but only their furthest attempt will be used to determine the results.
A foul is committed if the participant steps beyond the wooden plank, which results in the jump not being measured for their score. There is also a chance at elimination if it happens for multiple attempts.
This event first came to Westfield in 1922 when the Westfield Track and Field program started to grow. Between both boys and girls, there are 20 participants in the event this season, marking one of the most popular long jump teams the program has seen yet.
One of the coaches of this event, Matthew Andzel, explained, “This is an extremely competitive event in New Jersey. Last year, our best long jump was 21 ‘6 ” which placed fourth in counties by Senu Glascow.” He also added, “This year we expect Nick Lukkis, Charlie Vanacek and Jake Stinton to have big seasons in the long jump.”
As the track captain at Westfield in 2002 and the coach for the past four years, Andzel looks to continue to make this team as competitive as possible for the rest of the season and the Union County Tournament.
Senior Cheyenne Blackwell, a member of the team, explained, “I got into long jump because I was looking for a field event I could possibly excel in. To my surprise, I had made some pretty decent jumps ever since I’ve [started working] at it. And I’ve only gotten better. I fell completely in love with long jump. I love the feeling of flying through the air with a goal and a purpose. It has provided me with more confidence and love for the sport.”
With the growing success and popularity in the long jump field event, the program looks to welcome new members while also trying to achieve new records this season.
