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7/28/00 Buffalo, New York

USATF National Junior Olympics

Interviews

Jacquelyn Johnson - Intermediate Girls Heptathlon and High Jump

Winner!

Jacquelyn Johnson's winning 5-08.75 High Jump

Draping over the bar very efficiently!

Jacquelyn Johnson (Yuma Valley Flyers TC) – Yuma High School

  The biggest headliner the first two days of multi-event action at this year’s USATF National Junior Olympics competition was the Divisional Record at the Intermediate Girls level with 4882 points by Jacquelyn Johnson of Yuma, Arizona.  The Yuma area athlete has been active in these championships for the last few years with her efforts in this year’s meet including a win in her division in the High Jump at 5-08.75.  The powerful and talented athlete who lives in the southwest corner of Arizona in the low desert area between Los Angeles and Tucson had a few minutes for us Friday morning after her win in the High Jump. 

   When asked how long she has been competing in Track, Jacquelyn replied, “About seven or eight years.”  About her sports involvement at Yuma HS, where she will be a soph this Fall, she added, “I compete in Volleyball, Basketball, and for the Track team.”  When pressed, she added,  “I was on the Varsity team in all three sports.  I was all-league in Volleyball, second team all-league in basketball, with a best game of 23 points, and won the High Jump, Long Jump, and Triple Jump in the State track meet.  I was fifth in the 100 Meter Hurdles, but I hit one of the hurdles during the race.”  When we asked for a favorite sport, she replied,  “I like track the most of all the sports.”

  When asked about her Heptathlon record here, she stated, “I was pleased with my record and felt that I did a good job, but I wish I could have done a bit better in the Long Jump, where I just jumped 16-11 and have a best of 18-6.”

  Johnson is coached year round by Walter McCloud, and has done a little bit of weight-training, an area that she expects to move into more of in the future. 

 Asked about next year’s World Youth Championships (in Hungary for those under age 18 during the summer selected from by this competition and the Age Group Nationals this summer) the young star excitedly replied, “I am very excited about competing on the World Youth Games next year, and the staff has informed me that they have a multi-event competition and I look forward to the trip to Europe!” 

 As far as long term goals, Jacquelyn replied, “To qualify for the Olympic Trials in 2004.”

 She has a twin brother who is a basketball player, and an older sister Jessica who is here in Buffalo to run the 400 Meters.  Both her mom and dad had interest in sports when younger, her father was a football player and her mom ran, but working a job kept her away from competitive athletics when a teen.