Thrill of flight keeps Bell athlete working at triple jump

Jaylin Brooks is the epitome of persistence.

The L.D. Bell senior first tried the triple jump in the eighth grade. By his own admission, he was not good at the event.

But he liked it, so he kept doing it day after day, with a focus to steadily get better.

Today he is one of the best in North Texas and will once again be competing in the Class 6A Region I meet at the University of Texas at Arlington on Friday and Saturday. He qualified by winning the Area 7/8-6A Meet with a distance of 46-3.

“It’s exciting and it’s fun,” he said of the triple jump. “I liked it, so I kept at it and just kept improving. I was determined and I felt like I had a chance at some success.”

Brooks won the District 7-6A championship recently with a career-best performance of 46 feet, 6.75 inches. It ranks as one of the top distances in Region I, giving him a chance to advance to Austin for the state meet next month.

Brooks said his decision to stay with the triple jump instead of moving to another event as his main focus was simply the thrill he gets each time he goes airborne.

“It’s exhilarating, especially when I’m in the air,” Brooks said. “And when everything comes together, it’s just the greatest feeling.”

Brooks said success in the triple jump is more than being able to jump a long distance — which he can certainly do. He said it involves a strategy for each of the three phases.

“You have to understand what to do on each part, and you have to hold your legs a certain way,” he said. “It’s very complicated, and takes a lot of practice.”

Bell coach Gerry Smith said the triple jump is more of a finesse and coordination event. He said Brooks’ ability to fully comprehend this has brought him to his current level of success.

“The most common one to mess up is the second phase, and that’s the biggest difference with Jaylin between this year and last,” Smith said. “This is what I call a technique event. You have to have a technique down or you won’t be successful.”

When Brooks qualified for regionals last season, he was competing in a senior-laden field. He finished 11th, but Smith believes that experience, along with his consistent improvement, will serve him well this season.

“He really broke through last year,” Smith said. “Seven of the top 10 at last year’s regional meet were seniors, so we are hoping to see him make a big leap forward. Okay, that pun was intended.”

Smith added that there is a reason most of the competitors were seniors.

“It takes that much experience to get good at it,” he said.

Brooks said he believes it will take an effort of about 48 feet to qualify for state. He’s confident he has such a performance in himself.

Smith thinks the same.

“If everything comes together at the right time, he’s got the potential to get one out there and get to state,” Smith said.

And there’s also Brooks’ determination to take into consideration.

“He’s got the work ethic for it (triple jump),” Smith said. “It’s because of kids like him that we’re successful.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Thrill of flight keeps Bell athlete working at triple jump."