Jordan Anderson is ready to take State in the High Jump
Jordan Anderson after winning Region Meet High Jump
Senior High Jumper Jordan Anderson will now take his act to Austin this week-end for the State Track Meet where he will be trying to become Canyon Lake’s first State Champion in sports.
Anderson will go down as the most decorated track athlete and will also have some marks that will take a while to best by other tracksters.
How about having the Hawks best times in the 100, 200, 400 Meter Runs to start with.
Add to that his records in the Long Jump and High Jump and you get the idea that this young man is special.
“I had to make Jordan run track,” Robin Anderson (Jordan’s Mom) said earlier this week during his signing with Angelo State in Track and Field.
This young man will now add Field to his Track competition in Austin. Qualifying in the High Jump event has made that a reality this year. Last season Anderson finished 6th in the 400 Meter Run in Austin.
The ReSporter had time to talk with Jordan and wanted to share more information for the Canyon Lake community.
The ReSporter: How has the District Track Meet motivated you?
Jordan Anderson: “I was very disappointed after that meet and it made me a lot hungrier. I want to do this one event (High Jump) to the best of my ability. God willing.”
The ReSporter: You have stated how you had never practiced the high jump and now here you are preparing for State. What and how are you doing in practice?
Jordan Anderson: “I have been working with Coach Lambert and I have a ‘mark’ now.”
The ReSporter: I have heard from Marisa Ellis (the other CL high jump athlete that will compete in Austin this week) on how you never had a mark for your jumps.
Jordan Anderson: “I think it (having the high jump markers) really has a placebo affect. It is hard to get motivated to jump in practice, I have reached 6’4 in practice last week, but in the State Meet I have no doubt that I will get it.”
The ReSporter: Get what?
Jordan Anderson: “I will get my height because I thrive under pressure.”
The ReSporter: Are you practicing with Marisa Ellis?
Jordan Anderson: “No, we are out there at different times and besides it would be hard adjusting the bar after each jump.”
The ReSporter: Yeah, I forgot about that. How will you approach the State Meet?
Jordan Anderson: “I can’t do two jumps in a row, they won’t let me do two jumps right after each other, if I miss on my first try.”
The ReSporter: Why do you like to do two jumps in a row?
Jordan Anderson:“If I miss a height, then it is fresher in my mind and I feel like what I did wrong can be
Jordan Anderson beating the field in Wimberley during his Sophomore season
fixed and I can get right back to the jump.”
“They did not allow me to do that at the Region Meet and I had to wait for the whole group to go and wait for my turn again.”
The ReSporter: So having a different pattern will not be new to you in Austin since you have already done that in the Region Meet.
In Austin, will you wait for a higher start and jump later?
Jordan Anderson: “Definitely, there are so many that are at the same height, that this event will come down to the one with the least amount of misses.. I think they will start at 5’10 so I will not start until the bar reaches 6’0, and that is when I will join the competition.”
“I feel real comfortable starting at that height.”
The ReSporter: How will you gage your competition, or will you psyche your self up in other ways?
Jordan Anderson: “I will look at the height that I want to clear of 6’7, because I want to beat my record of 6’6.”
The ReSporter: What happened at the Region Meet where you maxed out with a 6’4 height?
Jordan Anderson: “I missed it twice and it got really slippery and that made it scary for jumping.”
The ReSporter: Tell us about going to Angelo State University.
Jordan Anderson: “I’m excited and ASU Coach has been sending me text messages and I’m looking forward to training and getting better. By signing with ASU, it has taken nerves and pressure off.”
“I got a chance to meet them (ASU Track Team) before practice and they really want me and it was really exciting to be there….I talked to all the sprinters not just the relay team when I was there.”
The ReSporter: Tell us about how your Mom made you run track?
Jordan Anderson: “When I was in California, I was in a private school and my parents told me that they wanted me to be in two sports. It was tough doing that because I wasn’t doing well in class.”
“When we came here, I was in the Public School and then school became a breeze and I got to play my first love–Basketball in the 7th grade….then Mom told me that I had to run track after the basketball season was over and I really wanted to play basketball instead.”
The ReSporter: When did you realize that you were fast?
Jordan Anderson: “In the 4th Grade, I was always the fastest, but during my 8th and Freshman Year I was just average.”
“When I started my Sophomore year was when I started thinking that there was something that I had…that was the first time I broke the 11 second 100 Meter Run.”
The ReSporter: Jordan you seem really laid back when you are preparing for an event, how will you react at the State Meet for an event that you really haven’t worked out for in your track career?
Jordan Anderson Jumping High
Jordan Anderson: “The high jump is a much more laid back than the running events. When you are preparing to run the 400 meter run, you know that it will be over in 50 seconds and it becomes very nerve racking. With the high jump it doesn’t all build up like the running events, it becomes a more spread out event.”
The ReSporter: Thanks for your time with us Jordan, you have been a pleasure to know these past few years and Canyon Lake wishes you the best this week and also during your college career.
