Fountain & Clayton soar, Lipsey flies
By Christopher Hunt
Columbus coach Yvonne Torrente said she saw it coming. Something like a storm building. You see the lighting and hear the thunder. Then suddenly, you’re drenched.
That’s how Whitney Fountain popped a big one in the long jump. The sophomore went from a very good, consistent jumper to having the best long jump in the history of New York State. Fountain rocketed off the runway at the USATF Metropolitan Junior Olympics Qualifier Sunday at Monsignor Farrell in Staten Island for a jump of 20 feet, 11 1/4 inches in the intermediate girls division. The jump is farther than state record of 20-10 3/4 shared by Uniondale’s Keyon Soley set in 1998 and Lynette Wigington of Matituck (1997). But the jump has not been certified as of yet.
“We were waiting,” Torrente said. “We knew it was coming. All we needed was some good weather.”
Fountain, who had never jumped farther than 19-2 before Sunday, competed at the J.O. qualifier instead of the PSAL championships, which were also Sunday, forfeiting her chance at the state meet which starts tomorrow at the University at Buffalo.
“She wanted to continue to the nationals,” Torrente said, adding that adding that attending J.O. nationals in Nebraska and Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. could make for an expensive summer.
At the same meet, Suffern sophomore Jen Clayton also popped what is now the second-best jump in the state, 20-4 1/2. With Fountain out of the state meet, it further cements Clayton as the favorite in the long jump, especially since she said she wasn’t looking for a big jump.
“I didn’t feel like I went anywhere because, I just mainly set out to jump the amount of feet that would get me to qualify for the (national) meet,” Clayton said. “When I got out the sand I looked back and it looked pretty far. Now I’m just looking forward to the state meet so I can jump even farther.”
Clayton figures the atmosphere and increased intensity of the state championships could give her a bit more hangtime, that, and a developing patience in the air.
“My jump coach, (Steve) Pashley, we’ve been been working on my time in the air and my last two steps of my approach, being more explosive.”
While some local athletes made history around the corner, Hempstead junior Charlene Lipsey traveled to Orlando, Fla. for the Golden South Classic to set a meet record. Lipsey snapped a 23-year old meet record Saturday, in 2:08.25, six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
For the first time, Lipsey led a race from start to finish.
“Something told me take it out,” she said. “At the 400, I heard some guy say 62 and I thought, OK I’m going to fast. I took it out in 64 at Simplot and I died. But I kept feeling good.”
She tried to convince herself to slow down but her body ignored her fear. Soon she couldn’t hear the heavy breathing behind her. Lipsey dropped the field.
“I thought everyone was going to past me on the second lap,” she said. “But I kept going and they didn’t.”
Lipsey is one of the favorites headed into the state meet tomorrow in the 800 meters, Her biggest competitor will be indoor all-American Phyllis Francis of Catherine McAuley. But at least now, Lipsey knows what it feels like to leave everything on the track.
“That was actually like the first day that I didn’t go home saying I could have done better,” she said. “So I know I gave it all I had.”
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.