Scheels Athlete of the Week: City High Senior Jack Soars to New Heights During Indoor Track Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Kaleba Jack didn’t have sky high expectations for himself when he decided to give track and field a try last spring.
The main motivation behind Jack joining the City High team was simply having fun and finding friendly competition.
“I just wanted to compete and have fun with my friends,” Jack explained. “I didn’t really know how good I was going to be so my goals weren’t very high.”
By the time Jack began gearing up for his second and final track and field season his own expectations had gone through the roof.
After a fourth-place finish in the long jump at the state track and field meet in his debut season as a junior Jack entered his senior season with an entirely new outlook.
“My goals are definitely a lot higher,” Jack said. “I wanted to win Drake and state but a big goal of mine though is to break the school record. That is number one on my list.”
After two indoor meets last month Jack appeared on track to reach his own lofty list of goals this spring.
Jack won long jump titles at the University of Dubuque Early Bird and the Dickinson Relays recording career-best jumps on half of his six attempts including a 23-2 effort on his final jump at the Dickinson Relays.
“At Dubuque he went 22-1 on his second jump and his ankle hurt a little bit and we said, ‘you’re done’,” City High coach Mike Moore said. “He came back the next week and lit it up. I’m not kidding you, when I say that 23-2 was a bomb, it was a bomb. He got up in the air so high it was just a cool thing to see.”
Jack jumped 21-10 ½ to place fourth at the Class 4A state meet in his final meet of his junior season.
He picked up ahead of where he left off this spring soaring 22-6 on his first attempt of the indoor season at the University of Dubuque.
“He is a physical freak, he has fast twitch muscles that not everybody gets to have and he has them,” Moore said. “You have to remember last year was his first year of track so he was new to the whole thing and in addition to that he was dealing with some shin splits that year and he jumped well but I think that hampered him a little bit.”
A week later Jack had new career-bests on two of four attempts at the Dickinson Relays at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
He went 22-8 on his first attempt and had two more jumps of 22-5 and 22-7 before going 23-2 on his final attempt.
“I think a lot of it has been my technique,” Jack said. “My long jump coach says that my technique has gotten so much better from last year and she just says that my head is in the right place now and I am more focused.”
The improvement for Jack hasn’t been limited to the long jump.
Jack won the 55 at the University of Dubuque Early Bird in a time of 6.62 and was third in the 60 at the Dickinson Relays in 7.11.
“He was working on his starts and was really running well in those sprints,” Moore said. “If we can get his starts improved even a little bit more I think he is going to be someone to be trifled with on the track too.”
While Jack is chasing his new goals he still makes good daily on the same thing that attracted him to track in the first place.
His desire to have fun and compete is part of what makes the senior such a valuable piece of the puzzle for City High this season.
“The best part about him, is he has to be the nicest kid out there,” Moore said. “When he high fives an opponent and says ‘hey nice job’ he genuinely means it. He just loves competing and he wants to beat you but he appreciates everyone else putting in the effort he is and that’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen.”
With the season currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic Jack awaits to see if he will have a chance to make good on more of his goals this season.
In the meantime the senior tries to make the most of the situation.
“I’ve been trying but it’s kind of tough to stay active,” Jack said. “I’ve been doing my best.”
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