I am just starting my 2nd season of Track and Field where my usual events are the 1500m run and the 800m run. This year I wanted to add the Field part of Track and Field to my schedule.
I decided to try the Long Jump. I have no training in it, but who cares? It is sooooo fun! All you have to do is run up to a white line and make sure that your foot doesn’t pass it when you take off (otherwise the jump doesn’t count.) Your goal is to jump as far as you can. You get 3 tries and they take your longest distance.
It sounds pretty simple, right? The idea of it is, but it can be hard to make sure your foot doesn’t go past the white line. You want to get as close as possible to the edge, though, so you don’t lose any distance in your jump. And you want to run fast so you have a lot of momentum going into the jump. Finally, you don’t want to fall backwards when you land because they measure from the first body part marked in the sand. So if you fall back onto your hand, they’ll measure to there instead of to where your foot landed. It’s a lot of things to think about and do at the same time.
These photos are from this past weekend’s meet:
I got so much sand in my ear after that jump! Ha ha ha
I’d love to hear from anyone who trains in this event. Any tips you could share with a beginner?