By William Simon, Staff Reporter
Sprinting down the track in anticipation of his jump, senior Rehobi Teshome bounded off the take-off board landing 45 feet and 6 inches into the sand pit in front of him. Almost two years into his high school track and field career, Teshome qualified for the New Balance Nationals Indoor track and field championships in Boston for the triple jump event after hitting the automatic standard.
“I was just very happy (to qualify). At the beginning of the season, I had already hit a big (personal record) of 45 feet, so I knew I was very close to hitting the standard,” Teshome said.
Since Teshome started his high school track career as a sophomore, he has become a seasoned competitor with experience in multiple events, including the 400-meter dash, long jump and triple jump.
Head track and field coach Alex Foulke, a VFMS teacher who ran at both the high school and collegiate levels, describes Teshome as coachable and mature. He attributes Teshome’s success to his ability to adapt and incorporate feedback into his training.
“The biggest thing you want to see is the idea of coachability. You want an athlete who takes feedback, who asks the right questions, who every day is looking to get better,” Foulke said. “I can actually see the maturity of him (progressing) through the years.”
Preparation for the season revolved mainly around work involving the different phases of the long jump: the approach, hop, step/bound and the jump. After qualifying for nationals that will be held from March 13-16, Teshome wanted to focus on the speed aspect of the jump.
“This season, I’ve been doing a lot of phase work. So (that means) working on my approach, being more patient and holding phases in triple jump because it is a very technical event,” Teshome said.
Some fond memories Teshome has collected over his time on the team include seeing others on the team accomplish their goals and setting new personal records. Through his teammates and coaches, Teshome has learned a variety of life lessons from track.
“In the past two years that I’ve done track, I’ve definitely seen myself grow, not only just on the track, but with the way I interact with others,” Teshome said. “Even when I couldn’t believe in myself, (my teammates) helped me believe in myself and when (my teammates) did good, that pushed me to do good.”
William Simon can be reached at [email protected].
