Beacon triple jump star shows steady progression
Damani DeLoatch worked diligently on his form, meticulously measuring each stride and the positioning of his legs during takeoff. His practices intensified last month while preparing for the state qualifying tournament.
And a little snowstorm wasn’t going to break that routine.
Him skipping through the snow outside Beacon High School might’ve seemed strange, or even comical, to an onlooker. But for those who understood the purpose, it was an example of the persistence that helped make him a track and field standout.
Snow provides a natural cushion for the landing, making it easier on the joints, he and his coach explained. Quarter-jokingly.
“Triple jump is about technique,” Beacon coach Jim Henry said. “There’s all these moving parts; what the arms and legs are doing, what’s going on in the first phase and second phase. It requires a great deal of body awareness and control. Damani has that.”
DeLoatch went on to dominate in the Section 9 state qualifier, winning the triple jump title and advancing to the state tournament, where he placed second.
“It meant a whole to me and I was able to enjoy it with my family,” DeLoatch said. “I’ve been jumping for a long time, and it’d been a goal of mine to get on the podium at states for indoor season.”
The snow-hopping was a week after he won the Section 9 championship with a personal-best distance of 46 feet, 63⁄4 inches.
DeLoatch also earned a berth to compete in the championship division of the Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory last weekend and placed ninth at 46-4. His hope was to set a new personal best, but it was a remarkable three-week run to close the winter season nevertheless.
“It’s always exciting,” he said of competing at nationals for a third time. “I’m amped that I’ve come close to 47 feet before the spring season.”
The 6-foot-5 senior added about two feet to his distance during this indoor season, and he continues to improve by leaps and bounds. Literally.
“He made the podium in outdoor states last year,” Henry said of DeLoatch’s sixth-place finish in June. “That was a boost to his confidence like, ‘I’m one of the top jumpers in New York.’ His bad jumps now are his good jumps from a year ago.”
DeLoatch has realistic aspirations — if not expectations — of excelling at the state level and beyond this spring. That, along with his 4.0 GPA, has earned him a bevy of college suitors.
Beacon track and field has done well, establishing itself as a respected competitor in Section 1, then doing the same after a switch to Section 9 three years ago.
Among the athletes who have shined is Henry Reinke, a senior committed to Williams College. He has competed in the state tournament in cross country and as a sprinter.
“You usually have distance runners who aren’t that fast and sprinters who can’t go three miles,” the coach said. “Henry is the most versatile runner I’ve ever coached, and he can contribute in so many events.”
DeLoatch, meanwhile, is the current torchbearer for a program that long has been known for producing elite jumpers.
Raymond Humphrey was their first state champion in 1983, an All-American triple jumper who went on to break records at Georgetown University. More recently was long jumper Rayvon Grey, another state champion and collegiate star. He won a United States championship two years ago and has hopes of becoming an Olympian.
“I’ve met some of the alumni athletes and it’s been great,” DeLoatch said. “I’ve asked Rayvon for help and he’s given me jumping advice. I think having great athletes behind us and being part of a program with that kind of history contributes to our success.”
The all-time jumping records at Beacon High School are better than some colleges, said Henry, who has coached the team since 2003.
For DeLoatch, this came about because of soccer. And then a long line.
He got into track and field as a middle schooler with the sole intent of improving his speed and endurance for soccer, which was his first passion. He started as a hurdler and ran the 400 meters.
During his freshman year, though, with the program seeking jumpers, the coaches organized the interested athletes in two lines.
“I wanted to try the long jump, but so did everyone else,” DeLoatch said with a grin. “That line was too long, and I was near the back, so I went over to the other line.”
That was for the triple jump. The coaches noticed in him a natural aptitude for the event.
“Triple jump requires you to maintain momentum through all the phases and most people can’t,” said Henry, who once was a high jumper at Cornwall High School. “You watch someone and, almost right away, you can tell if they’ve got the potential to be good at it.”
Typically, a solid triple jump is about twice the distance of the athlete’s long jump. Someone with training and a refined form, Henry said, can double the distance plus 4-6 feet. DeLoatch now is on the higher end of that range.
“It’s about surpassing my past self, so I’ve focused on my weaknesses,” he said of his progress. “I wasn’t the fastest jumper, so I worked on sprinting to get my speed up. Once I was able to get my approach speed to where the other jumpers were, I started taking off.”