Track & Field: Jumpers take center stage for Douglas High

You could say the Douglas High girls track and field team has been a jump ahead " maybe two or three " of its Northern 4A competition this spring.

The Tigers have been downright dominant en route to victories in six of their seven meets and a large reason for that success has been strength in the field events, including Jessica Waggoner in the throws as well as a talented and deep group in the jumps.

In their last two meets, the Tigers amassed 275.5 points at the Carson Invitational and 236.41 at their own Big George Invitational, and in both meets they scored more than 50 points in the long jump, triple jump and high jump.

Look at the long jump, where Liz Nickles and Jessica Gorton rank among the elite of the Northern 4A with their 17-foot credentials, while Natasha Brown (16-0) and Shannon Hubbard (15-11-1/2) are close behind.

Brown has posted the top triple jump mark in the North (34-3-1/2) and Nickles ranks among the leaders (33-3). In the high jump, Kyra Barth and Gorton have both cleared 5-feet to rank near the top in that event.

"This year, our jump program has been amazing," said Gorton, a senior who has placed in the long jump and triple jump at regionals each of the last three years.

The Douglas girls will be looking to add at least one more team title when they host the Northern 4A Regional Championships, which open with the trials on Saturday and conclude with the finals on May 16.

"Hopefully," said Douglas coach Kim Tretton. "We've got to show up like everyone else. We have a lot of talent, but so do the other teams.

"Nothing is a given."

None of the success has come by accident, either. Just consider the dedication of all the team members who turned out on a cool and windy afternoon to practice on Friday before heading off for their prom night.

"We want them to enjoy their time here, so special occasions like this (prom) are important," said Tretton, who is in her third season with the Douglas program. "At the same time, these kids are really hard workers. They understand it's important to make sacrifices, so they come out to practice."

And the team is still the bottom line with the Douglas program.

"We're always working on the cohesiveness to make sure they remember they're here as a team and not as individuals," Tretton said.

THE SENIORS

Gorton, Nickles and Brown " all honors students in the classroom as well as on the track -- are looking to conclude their senior seasons with a bang over the next three weeks.

Gorton has been a four-event standout since her freshman year, though she's been limited to the long jump and high jump this season while recovering from a knee injury she sustained in the triple jump at last year's regional meet.

"It's been very difficult for her to watch from the sidelines," coach Jim Abbott said. "She's 100 percent for the long jump and high jump, but she hasn't done the triple jump or hurdles this year. We weren't willing to risk an injury. It's not worth trying to score a few points here and jeopardize her college career."

Gorton has signed with Division I Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y., where she will join one of her top Northern 4A rivals, Morgan Kaisershot of Elko.

"We're close friends and we're going to be roommates in college ... it's going to be fun because we're going to know someone when we go to New York," said Gorton. "I'm excited because she normally takes the hurdles and I normally take the long jump; it's always close, so we're still going to be pushing each other in college."

One of Gorton's highlights came at last year's Fallon Elks Invitational when she soared 17-4-1/2 to beat Kaisershot by one-half inch and break Douglas' school record of 17-2 set by Wendi Hovey in 1989. Gorton also has her sights set on Caroline Izoco's school high jump record of 5-6 set in 1989. (Izoco and Hovey went on to become standouts for the University of Nevada track and field program).

Liz Nickles has improved her best of 15-10 from last year to a personal best of 17-2-1/2 that ranks No. 2 in the North and among the best statewide this season.

Nickles saw all her work come together at the Reed Rotary Invitational when she popped her personal record.

"I got so high on the jump, when I came down I knew it was a big jump, automatically," she said.

Like any event in track and field, jumpers form a fraternity -- sort of like a family unit.

"We've been together four years and we've gotten to be pretty close," said Nickles, who will attend Northern Colorado University in Greeley in the fall. "All of us are close. I'm excited to come out here and do track just because they are like family to me."

Brown opened her season with a 16-foot effort at home that improved her long jump personal record by five inches. She would like to finish on an upbeat note when the regional meet is held at home.

"I'm looking forward to it ... this is a good way for us to finish," said Brown, who will attend the University of Nevada, where she plans to focus on a career as a mining engineer.

"We've had a good (four years). It's all been a lot of fun."

These seniors have been invaluable, not only for their marks but for their overall contributions, according to Tretton.

"I'm going to miss them so much," Tretton said. "We've been working together here for three years and I even helped Jessica her freshman year when I was coaching at another school (Fernley). They've been very near and dear to my heart."

THE COACHES

Abbott and Tretton have combined to coach the jumpers after Tretton took time off from coaching earlier this spring because of her pregnancy. There are a few minor differences in their coaching styles " but not that much.

"I was a jumper myself in high school so it was only natural for me to jump in and help," Abbott said. "There are a couple of differences between our styles, we just work real well together. We never worry about stepping on each other's toes; it's a team effort. This gives them two different viewpoints and I think they've learned more about the event because of it."

Abbott and Tretton agree when it comes to placing special emphasis on good technique and a good mental approach.

"I was a distance runner and I didn't have great speed and strength, but I was able to do well in the long jump just with technique," said Abbott, who was a 22-foot long jumper in high school and later competed as a middle distance runner for Virginia Tech. "I studied film to see why things were done a certain way and I read up as much as I could on the event. There's a lot of science behind the jump and we try to teach that to the kids. We want them to know and understand how they do it and why."

These athletes have paid attention to their lessons.

"It's been a work in progress over the years and it's all starting to come together," said Tretton. "We can only do so much as coaches; they have to want it, and the thing is, they're very receptive to what we tell them."

The jumping group features a blend of seasoned veterans and talented young athletes.

"The future looks bright," Abbott said. "We have a very powerful group of freshmen and I know we have a strong group of eighth graders coming up next year, so we're real excited."