And Xavier
Prep junior Jada Sims has and continues to put her mark on numerous events for
the Gators.
She has
established automatic state qualifying times/distances in the 100-meter hurdles
(15.21 seconds) and the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches) – the latter a school
record. And she has provisional state qualifying efforts in two other events –
the long jump (17-9 ½) and the 300-meter hurdles (48.75).
On Friday
(April 6) and Saturday (April 7), she will be competing in the annual Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, Calif.
She will be entered in the high jump and the 100 hurdles. She joined some of
her Xavier teammates for practice on Tuesday (April 3) and Wednesday (April 4).
Meanwhile, a
large contingent of Xavier athletes will invade Arizona State’s facility on
Thursday (April 5) and Saturday for the annual Sun Angel Invitational.
Sims is
excited about her improvements over the season and hopes for more in the weeks
leading up to the Division I state meet on May 2, 4 and 5 at Mesa Community
College.
Sims stands
6 feet tall. Her father, Jerome, was a college basketball player (6-7) at
Youngstown State in the early 1990s and her older brother, Jerome III (6-1),
recently completed his senior basketball season at Brophy Prep.
Where does Jada Sims want to finish in her events? This photo says it all. (Photo by Don Ketchum). |
She really
enjoys it when she hits her stride in the hurdles and negotiates her way over
the high-jump bar and lands in the big, pillowy cushion.
“I’ve been
doing the hurdles for a long time and I’ve always liked them,’’ she said. “In
the high jump, when you make it over, there’s no other feeling like it.’’
The thought
process is part of the equation. You must stay focused when you are involved in
so many events, as Sims is.
“You want to
make sure you are prepared, getting ready for each event, making sure your legs
have recovered from the last event and make sure you do your stretching,’’ she
said.
Having the
proper footwork on the approaches in the high jump and long jump is essential.
Sims
achieves a rarity of sorts with those events. She takes off from her left foot
in the high jump and her right foot in the long jump.
She is
thankful for the assistance she receives from the Xavier event coaches as well
as the support of her family. Sometimes her dad will tape her meets and they
will sit down and go over the results.
Although her
senior year is a year away, Sims already is starting to think about reaching
her goal of competing in college. She knows that academics also are a key
factor. She said she has a 4.0 grade-point average at XCP. She is taking an
advanced computer science course and is aiming toward that area to pursue at
the next level.
“I enjoy all
of it,’’ she said. “I know that track and field might be considered as
individual sports by some people, but there is a lot of team things that are
involved. It’s fun to be out here working with my teammates.’’
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