May 19th 2024.
Scottie Vines was getting ready for an extraordinary summer vacation with his family. They had planned a road trip along the West Coast for next month, and it was going to be a lot more exciting than your typical summer getaway. That's because Scottie had just won his third Class 1A high jump title at the CHSAA state track and field championships, with an impressive jump of seven feet. This was 10 inches higher than the second-place jump in 1A and three inches higher than the best jump in all classifications. It was clear that Scottie was a phenom in the making, and his next destination was Eugene, Oregon - also known as "Track Town, USA."
His mother, Leslie Weis, excitedly shared their plans for the trip. They were going to pack up their camper and make it a family affair by heading to Eugene. It was going to be a great opportunity for them to support Scottie as he competed in the U.S. Under-20 Championships on June 13, followed by the Olympic Trials two weeks later.
Scottie was the clear favorite in the U-20 nationals, as he had the current world-best U-20 mark of 7 feet, 4.25 inches, which he had achieved twice. This also qualified him for the Olympic Trials. The crowd was well aware of his impressive achievements, and they were buzzing with excitement as he prepared to jump on Saturday.
After the rest of the 1A high jump field finished, with Ethan Tesman of Elbert taking second place at 6-2, Scottie started at 6-8. He easily cleared that height, along with 6-10 and 7 feet. He then attempted 7-2.25 three times but was unable to clear it due to the gusty tailwind affecting his timing. Despite this, Scottie still felt good about his performance and was grateful for the support of the crowd.
His father, who shares the same name, had driven all the way from Alabama to watch his son perform. He was also a former high jump champion, with a jump of 7 feet during his high school days. It was a special moment for Scottie to have his father and his family present to witness his success. He even got to meet his younger siblings, who he had not seen in a while.
The crowd also included an Olympic medalist, Matt Hemingway, who was Scottie's mentor. Hemingway had set a Colorado high school record at 7-4 in 1991, which Scottie broke this year. Hemingway acknowledged that Scottie would be the favorite at the U-20 championships, but to make this year's Olympic team, he would probably have to jump 7-7 or 7-8. He advised Scottie to focus on gaining experience at the trials and not put additional pressure on himself.
Scottie will be joining the University of Colorado next year, and his mentor believes he will be a strong contender from the start. He also wants Scottie to have a bigger vision for his future, beyond just his immediate goals.
After securing his third state title, Scottie hugged his mentor and his high school coach, Melissa Rigsby. She expressed how proud she was of him and that they had accomplished everything they set out to do. It was a bittersweet moment for her as the reality of Scottie's high school career being over sunk in.
De Beque, the small town where Scottie is from, may have a graduating class of only four students, but they showed their support by signing his shoes. Scottie was touched by this gesture and mentioned that they will be hanging his shoes up at the school - a reminder of the strong community he has back home.
As Scottie moves on to bigger and better things, his high school coach hopes that he will continue to put out positive energy and that it will come back to him. With his talent and determination, it's clear that Scottie has a bright future ahead of him. The whole town of De Beque will be cheering him on as he takes on new challenges and makes them proud.
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