State Champion Spotlight: Ben Cotton (John Bapst)
What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
Leading up to the state meet, I continued to work on my long jump form and block starts at practice and made sure that I was confident in my abilities. I also continued to watch videos of myself so I could visualize myself jumping/running at the meet successfully.
What was one thing that you focused on this winter that made a difference in your performance?
One thing that I continually focused on was to keep a positive attitude towards my events and remain confident in my abilities. I made sure that I worked hard at every practice and every meet in order to maximize my potential. My mental focus definitely paid off this year and I am hoping that it will carry over into the outdoor season.
You won the 55m state title despite having a slight stumble at the start, how were you able to stay calm and still win?
Looking back on it, I kind of laugh at how much time I put into working on my block start at practice just to stumble when it really counted. That being said, after I tripped I made sure to stay mentally focused on the race ahead of me and pushed myself as fast as I could go. With the focus I put into the whole season, I was successfully able to remain calm and finish out on top.
You added a second state title in the long jump going over 21 feet, what clicked in the event the last few weeks to get you to the top?
I have to give a shoutout to my awesome teammates and coaches who were always there to help me with my form and were able to continually correct errors in my form. During our last regular season meet it finally clicked that there were a couple key flaws in my jump that were quick and easy to fix, one of them being that I needed to keep my eyes up rather than looking at the sand so soon. Once I fixed these problems, I noticed a huge change in my jumping ability.
Coming into the season what were your goals and did you achieve them?
I wanted to make the best of my last high school indoor track season. I had a few small goals that I wished to accomplish like jumping over 21 feet, getting under 6.8 in the 55, and running a sub 54 400. I was only expecting to complete one or two of these goals but I surprised myself and accomplished more than I thought I would this season.
What have your coaches meant to your success?
My coaches mean everything to me and my successful performances. Whether they have knowledge on an event or not, they are always willing to go the extra step and learn more in order to make everyone on our team more successful track athletes. I would not be able to compete this well if it wasn't for their constant coaching and optimistic attitudes. I cannot thank them enough for everything they do for me.
Cotton's 55m Progression
| 55M | |
|---|---|
| INDOOR | Graph |
| 2018 | 6.65 |
| 2017 | 6.87 |
