For most of Nipmuc's athletes the spring season comes to end just as our seniors are graduating. However, as we get ready for one of the final weekends of the school year, junior Kurt Robakiewicz is gearing up for his most important competition of the season. Last weekend Kurt earned a state championship in the triple jump by leaping more than 46 feet. This all-time best jump for Kurt not only crowned him as a state champ, but also gave him the opportunity to compete in the New England championships this weekend at Bridgewater State University. I had the chance to speak with Kurt to ask him about this awesome accomplishment.
Q:
How did you first become interested in triple jumping?
A:
I first became interested in triple jump going into my sophomore outdoor track
and field season for two reasons. First of all, because I planned to
participate in the Decathlon which encompasses triple jump (at our age level
and school division), and second because I have always enjoyed long jump and
triple jump. It is the same concept to jump as far as you can, so my jumping coach
and ex-teammate Brendan Wood wanted me to try out triple jump.
Q:
What type of training do you participate in during the season and during the
off-season?
A:
For track, we practice every day after school for anywhere between 30 minutes
to 2 hours; all of this depends on when our next meet is being held. As far as
my personal training for triple jump, I vary my practices as well, usually
focusing on primary parts of my jump on specific days when needed. I also do
some weight training twice a week during season and three to four days a week
with more intensity in the off-season. In the off-season, I also do some running
here-and-there, but I'm usually playing soccer when I'm not doing track, so
that keeps me in shape as well. In the summer, I also attend one or two
track camps in order to refine and/or improve my jumping techniques.
Q:
What was the most memorable part of competing in the state championship?
A:
The most memorable part of the meet (if not the hot weather) was probably the
feeling after I heard the distance of my furthest jump. It was a feeling that
is hard to explain, but the best way for me to explain it is that I was just
overwhelmed with joy at how I jumped.
Q:
What are you most excited about as you prepare for the New England competition?
A:
In regard to the upcoming New England meet, I am most excited for the
competition as I am currently seeded first and the same guy I competed against
in the All-State meet is seeded second, so I am excited to find out what the
competition will be like.
Q:
What are your future plans as a track athlete (senior year and beyond)?
A:
As I am only a Junior, I plan to continue Triple Jump as a senior next year as
well as Long Jump, the 400m dash, and the 4x100m relay, all in which I usually
compete during the regular season. Kevin Hack and I also plan to learn how to
Pole Vault this summer in one of our track camps and we both plan to compete in
one Pole Vault competition next year and be the first athletes from Nipmuc to
ever compete in the Pole Vault. In college, I also plan to continue my jumping
career as many of the coaches to which I have already spoken would be willing to
have me compete on their track team. As far as after college, it would be a
dream come true to compete in the Olympic Trials for Triple Jump and then go on
to compete in the Olympics to represent our entire country, but as of
now, I am just going to focus on making myself as good of an athlete as I can
make myself.
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