TAMPA - As he prepares to soar over a high jump bar several inches taller than most folks' backyard privacy fences, Gigi Petion says he tries to clear his head of just about everything -- everything but the song he is singing and God, whom Petion sometimes asks for a little help.
"Especially on the higher heights, I'll say 'Lord, I need you right now,' " said Petion, a senior at Alonso High. "I don't ask every time I jump. Just when I feel like I need a Iittle help. But each time I've asked Him, it's worked and I've gotten the height."
As the son of Haitian parents, Petion says he knows the power of prayer and how fortunate he is to be growing up in the United States. Each time he comes out to track practice or a meet, Petion seems to be having the time of his life. And this season, his enjoyment includes being the top high jumper in Hillsborough County with a mark of 6 feet, 8 inches and tied for the second best jump in the state.
"Being near the top of the state just makes me want to work harder this year -- way, way harder," Petion said. "I know that all those guys below me are coming for me and I can't stay still."
That sort of work ethic and humility is something his Alonso track coaches love about Petion, whose goals this season include clearing at least 6-10, winning a state title and earning a college scholarship. What puzzles head coach Roger Mills is the fact for all his drive and athleticism, Petion didn't experienced much success in any sport until he came out for track as a sophomore.
"He's a kid that other coaches in other sports seem to have abandoned," Mills said. "He's a heckuva of a basketball player but never really settled in there and in football, he just didn't get the ball thrown his way very much.
"But in track, Gigi fits in with us and this team perfectly. He's exactly what we want for our track program -- humble, quiet and a good person -- and feels comfortable with us because of the sense of family that we have."
Suddenly, however, it's Petion's senior year. And since track is his final option toward his dream of being a college athlete, timing is running short. As a result, Mills says Petion is motivated and focused.
"You have no idea how important success in the high jump is to Gigi," Mills said. "After what didn't happen for him in football his senior year, this is it for him. He wants colleges to notice him, he wants an opportunity compete there and he has the grades to do that."
The attention is starting to come. Petion has now cleared 6-8 twice this season and, at last week's Charles Johnson Invitational, just missed a meet record 6-9 when his calf clipped the bar off the standards after his torso had cleared the height. Even those who don't follow the sport closely begin to take notice of a prep athlete that is inching their way to that elusive 7-foot mark.
Petion's high jump coach, former Florida State University all-American Shawn Brown, says 6-10 is only a matter of time for Petion. And he believes 7-0 is not out of the question. It will likely take 6-10, however, before college coaches start to take notice.
"I told Gigi before the start of the year that (6-10) is what we need in order to start making some phone calls to coaches and I know he's going to get that soon," said Brown, who was a state champion in the high jump for Bloomingdale. "I do believe he has 7 feet in him because I've seen at a few 6-8 jumps and even some 6-10 attempts where he was clearly over the bar if he had just put everything together.
"It's going to take a lot of technique and, maybe most importantly, the mental capacity to say to yourself 'Yea, I know I can do it.' That's something not every jumper has but Gigi is quietly confident and has the ability to do it."
Some days, Petion says the high jump is all he thinks about, Whether he's at home or at school, he often finds himself daydreaming about it. And at night, he has dreams about floating over the high jump bar.
So if you see Petion looking a little intense -- maybe even looking like he's in a trance -- on the day of the meet, it's likely because he is focusing on the high jump. And once he begins the competition, his attention is riveted on the event.
Just before the meet, Petion picks a single song to be his mantra to repeat over and over during the competition. Carol City-born rapper Rick Ross is a favorite on his I-Pod, but it can be nearly anything. Lately, Petion has been entering the high jump competition when the bar gets to 5-10 but he's been making 6-2, 6-4 and even 6-6 on first attempts.
When it gets down to him and just a few competitors, that's when you will see Petion take a water bottle and splash some of it on his face. Besides all the technique he has learned, the sprinkle of water is something he learned from Brown, who had a personal best of 7-4.5 at FSU and cleared 7-0 or better 10 times.
And when Petion's name is called to jump, he can often be seen standing 20-25 meters away for the start of his looping approach to the pit, staring at the sky. Sometimes, Petion says, he imagines himself being giant in size and the bar being a small obstacle. And on those special occasions, Petion is looking skyward asking a higher authority for some help.
"The high jump is such a mental thing and looking up toward the sky -- not at the bar -- and talking to God can take me out of the moment, take it out of my hands and away from the pressure of that moment," Petion said. "I don't want to think about the bar or missing or anything. I just want to do it."
By BILL WARD TBO.com
Published: March 16, 2011
