Last year at the New Balance Nationals indoor track and field championships, Kate Hall of Lake Region smirked and snapped a photo in front of a board listing meet records. Her goal was clear: to break the mark in the long jump as a senior.
Classic Kate Hall. She checked that feat off her to-do list last weekend. Hall won the national title in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 11 1/4 inches, soaring 4 inches longer than the meet record and a full foot beyond her second-place finish at the nationals last year.
By setting records this season at the New England championships in the 55-meter dash (6.95 seconds) and the long jump (20-6), Hall was the clear choice as the Maine Sunday Telegram’s indoor girls’ track and field athlete of the year – even before her performance at the national meet.
But as Hall has done throughout her high school career, she continued to excel against the best in the country. In addition to becoming a national long jump champion, she took sixth in the 60-meter dash (7.47) to win All-American status in that event.
The truth is, Hall rarely falls short of her goals. Many who have followed her career have come to believe no matter what’s at stake, Hall will deliver.
“I am confident her consistent preparation, her mental toughness and her ability to rise up for the big meets has put her in a great position to earn this lofty title,” said Lake Region Coach Mark Snow before the nationals.
With the help of personal trainer Chris Pribish, who has worked with Hall since she was in the eighth grade, Hall could tell she was stronger this season.
From her first 20-foot jump – 20-1 1/2 at a meet in Gorham on Jan. 16 – she gained confidence that the meet record at the nationals was within reach.
“We could tell overall I was a lot stronger and more stable. My different jumps and plyometrics were looking quite a bit better. We knew it was going to be a good season,” Hall said.
“I was dead-lifting 230 (pounds) the other day and it felt so easy. I could have done 10 reps at 230. And I thought, ‘Wow, that has never felt so easy. That definitely is a change.’ ”
Hall, who will attend Iowa State on an athletic scholarship, swept all three of her events (55, 200 and long jump) at the Class B state championships, rewriting two state records.
In addition, Hall went through the entire indoor season ranked first in the nation in the long jump.
That was important to her. And yet she went into the national meet forgetting about any of her achievements – focusing instead on winning the title.
“That is the biggest goal I’ve been thinking about all season,” said Hall.
Check it off the list.
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