James 'Tigger' Schofield Jumps into New PB
Following on from the GB Deaflympics get-together in London, James 'Tigger' Schofield hurried up to Cardiff to compete in the Welsh Indoor championships. Here, he tells his story.
"Before the competition I was a little unsure how it was going to go - I haven't done as much training as I would have liked since Taipei (the best experience of my life!), where I peaked at the right time to produce a PB of 1m93 in an amazing competition.
Also, this was the first jump I had done since Taipei as well so I travelled to Cardiff quite relaxed, with the mindset of just seeing what happened - using the competition as a marker to see where I was at in preparation for the new season as well as getting an idea of whether the training I had managed to do was sufficient or if it needed to be stepped up come the outdoor season.
I felt a little slow in the warm-up jumps but cleared a solid 1m80 so I felt OK. Come the competition, I cleared up to 1m81 easily then after an initial failure, put a bit more power down to clear 1m86. I felt happy with that - it was a good clearance and a solid result given the circumstances, and I went into the next jumps with no major expectations. After a first failure at 1m89, I cleared it comfortably at the second attempt and was starting to feel good. With a good rhythm going now, I cleared 1m92 first time - 1 cm short of my PB in Taipei!
My first attempt at a new PB was poor. As I had never cleared it before, I was tentative and didn't commit to the jump. Next attempt I just decided to put the power down and go for it. The result was one of my best ever jumps technically and a clearance at 1m95....A NEW PB!!!
This result gives me great confidence for when the outdoor season comes around, although I know I will inevitably have some peaks and troughs along the way. Perhaps more significantly, it gives me an indication that I can keep improving, and that if I improve enough, I could have a real chance at a medal in a future Deaf International Competition."
DUKA Director, Brian Kokoruwe adds; "It is pleasing to see the DUKA team performing excellently in the winter months. With the season still at the early stage, it does show that the team has fully recovered from Taipei trip and rearing to go. Well done James. Keep up the good work. Am sure with continuous hard work, you will soon be clearing above 2m. Good luck"
For the results card:
http://www.welshathletics.org/2010-welsh-indoor-championships/2010-senior-results/
Then click on High Jump
