04.29.07
BC’s Lee has to settle for 2nd place
BC’s Lee has to settle for 2nd place
Sophomore long jumper’s frustrations stem from having played basketball day before the meet
BY MASON KELLEY , Californian staff writer
e-mail: masonkelley@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Apr 28 2007 10:35 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Apr 28 2007 10:41 PM
When Tyrece Lee saw the result of his first jump in the finals he shouted, “I’m off.”
Photos:
Photo by Brian Drake / The Californian
Anikia Jackson creates a spray of dirt as she lands one of her long jump attempts at the Western State Conference track meet held at Bakersfield College on Saturday.
Lee, a sophomore at Bakersfield College, went into the Western State Conference Track and Field Championships Saturday at Memorial Stadium as the favorite in the long jump, but something didn’t feel right.
After a series of frustrating jumps, Lee sat on the grass in the 90-degree heat and took off his shoes and socks. He started over again.
Friends and teammates cheered him on, “OK, T, come on.” On his final jump, Lee released his frustration, hit 22 feet, 71/2 inches and said, “There it is.”
The jump put Lee in second place behind Moorpark’s Rex Bridgeforth, who won with a jump of 23-134.
“That will never happen again,” Lee said. “I’m so mad right now.”
That he lost to Bridgeforth was bad enough — the two have a rivalry dating to last season — but Lee said he was also disappointed in himself for playing basketball on Friday.
“I don’t know why I played basketball,” Lee said. “Never again.”
Despite the disappointment, Lee vowed to come back stronger next week and make a push for the State Championships May 18-19 in San Mateo. The next step for Lee and the Renegades is the So Cal Prelims Saturday at UC San Diego.
While Lee jumped at one end of the field, Anikia Jackson jumped at the other.
The long jump was one of nine events for the freshman — she took third place in the long jump with a mark of 16-1. After each event, Jackson huddled with one of the BC coaches or teammate LaShay Bagsby to discuss her technique.
“Every meet is a learning process,” Jackson said. “It takes so much to focus on that one event at one time.”
With so many events, Jackson tried to stay hydrated and out of the sun. Whenever possible, she hid under a yellow umbrella, but those precious moments of respite were rare as she ran from event to event.
“How can you stay out of the sun if you’re always getting ready to do something?” Jackson said.
Across the field from Lee and Jackson, freshman Melissa Noonchester set a school record in the pole vault with a mark of 11-1. Noonchester finished second in the event.
