Today I had an opportunity to work with a young man who is an up and comer in the triple jump and in his first full year competing he became a state champion. Jonathan Gardner. The reason why I’m writing about this young man is not because he’s a state champion; it’s because of the hunger he shows to want to become a better triple jumper and the route he took to get in touch with me. Jonathan had some people close to me who he could have asked to contact me to work with him, but he didn’t use or ask them he did it on his own. He contacted me through this website and through communication between he and his father, they came to Kenosha to for a session with me.
Now why is all of this special to me you ask? Well as a coach it would be great to have him as an athlete he’s an extremely talented young man with a major upside. He’s jumped 47’11” with no real coaching from a jumps perspective, a jumps coaches dream, but my mission that day wasn’t to recruit this day, but to teach. This young man was a sponge and working with him allowed me to see that I was doing things right as coach, but not only that to become a mentor to this young man and assist in his growth as an athlete allows the knowledge I’ve been taught over the years to continue on. Eager to learn and wanting to know more, I wish there were more athletes that I could coach like this young man. Jonathan I wish you all of the best this upcoming season and you know how to contact me if you need me. God Bless.