When it comes time to compete in the biggest meet of the season, some athletes battle with their nerves and hope they can pull off a solid performance.
With Bear Creek’s Jonny Magee, he’s right in the pocket, sure of his skills when he’s in the spotlight.
The Grizzly senior won both the triple jump and long jump at the 1A state track and field meet last Thursday-Saturday at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.
In the triple jump, he set a PR with a mark of 47 feet, 10 inches and nearly beat the 1A state record of 47-11.50 set in 1981; last year, he won the 2B state triple jump with a mark of 45 feet.
Magee won the long jump with a mark of 22-4.50.
“He steps up and loves the big meets and the big pressure. He performs well,” said Scott Wright, one of Bear Creek’s jumps coaches along with Andrew Tang. “He’s definitely a hard worker and it’s been incredible to watch him transform into a mature athlete.”
Added Magee: “At the big meets, I have more adrenaline and I’m ready to go. I’m excited. All the work you do in the offseason reflects on how you perform. It really started to pay off.”
Magee not only put in maximum effort at practice and meets, but in the weight room, as well. He was top ranked in the triple jump heading into state, but struggled a bit with the long jump leading up to the final meet, Wright said.
That all changed when everything needed to fall into place.
“All of a sudden, the week of state, things started clicking,” Wright said. “(At state) everything happened at the right time and he PR’d by five and a half inches.”
Next up for Magee is competing for the University of Idaho next season in the long jump, triple jump and possibly the high jump, which wasn’t on his docket this season, but an event he finished second in at state last year.
“They’ve got some big, strong jumpers, and hopefully I can continue the legacy that they have,” Magee said.
• Bear Creek senior Ben Lee took sixth in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.16.
The Grizzlies finished in eighth place in the team standings.
Photos: Lee second from right in hurdles; Magee middle on long jump podium. Courtesy photos.
