Leah Blackall has had – by her standards – an up and down season in triple jump. She may have declared the season to be a sub-par season until today’s NYS Indoor Championship Meet at Cornell University.
Blackall and her coaches had spent considerable time dissecting jumps beginning at State Quals. (in addition to video and photo review after most of Blackall’s early season meets).
After Blackall’s final tune-up at Eastern States, Blackall and Coach Young traded phones back and forth comparing videos from meets this season as well as from last year’s meets during a post-meet dinner at Plainview Diner with teammate Mara Bigornia. They had a “Eureka!” moment and shared this information with Coaches Lasher and Wood the following day. Over the final days before States, Blackall paid particular attention to the mechanics of the long jump phase of her triple jump. It would pay off.
Blackall jumped well enough to make finals with a best 36’ 5: jump on her final trials round jump. She went into finals in seventh place. After the first round of jumps, Blackall remained in seventh. On Blackall’s second finals round jump, she jumped 37’ 0.75” in moved into fifth place. The rest of the finals field seemed to be tiring a bit but Blackall was just getting warmed up. Blackall stood on the runway for her final jump, took her familiar rock back routine and took off sown the runway. Moments after landing in the pit, the results board told the story. 37’ 10.25”. Blackall was in second place for e moment. But six competitors still had jumps remaining. A little over five minutes later, it was official. Blackall placed second in both NYSPHSAA and Federation Championships.
Blackall placed fourth in NYSPHSAA, and fifith Feds last year with a 38’ 2.25” jump. She concludes her winter season at New Balance Indoor Championships next Sunday at the Armory.
-Submitted by the Sachem North coaching staff