Jonathan Gardner is Whitney Young Magnet High School’s first repeat state track and field champion.The high school triple jump champion is headed to Georgia Tech, a Division I school, on a track scholarship. He credits his success on the track field
Jonathan Gardner’s days as a student and athlete at Whitney Young Magnet High School ended with his recent graduation, but his young life is really just beginning, as the city and state triple jump champ prepares to take his athletic skills and academic prowess to Georgia Tech University. Gardner was a standout athlete on the Whitney Young track team and won the state title in the triple jump in 2009 and 2010. His jump of 49’11” at the city semifinals was a meet record, and that effort, combined with his win at the IHSA state meet, was good enough to earn him a scholarship to a Division 1 track program at Georgia Tech.
Being a triple jumper wasn’t something he planned to do early in his high school sports career, but once he got a taste of the field event, he liked it and never looked back. He also liked the unbiased nature of track and field, where you’re judged on ability, not hype or pedigree.
“Track is more fair, it’s more cut and dry,” Gardner said. “People look at your name rather than your stats in some other sports. In track if people don’t know who you are it’s not a big deal. They look at your times and how far you jump.”
And Gardner has impressed the track community with how far he’s jumped. He is the first athlete from Whitney Young to win an individual state title since 1987, and he’s the first Dolphin to ever repeat as an individual champion. Head coach Eric Wiegmann says Gardner’s got talent, but it’s his work ethic that sets him apart.
“John studied the event, he researched it and read articles, and studied videos. Everything he could find he studied it. Very few people will do that,” Wiegmann said.
“The way I was raised my mother always told me that if you’re going to do something you might as well do it right and be the best at it,” Gardner said. “It’s just something that’s been instilled in me.” Gardner also puts forth a lot of effort in the classroom. He has a 3.9 GPA and he scored 27 on the ACT. He plans on majoring in aerospace engineering in college, and has a good idea of the job he would like to have after earning his degree.
He’d also like to continue to improve in the triple jump and thinks he can reach the 57-foot mark before it’s all said and done. Lofty goals, but he has faith in his abilities and God to reach them. “You can’t do anything without the Lord,” said Gardner. “You can get close but you really can’t succeed without the Lord on your side.”
Wiegmann also thinks his track pupil will succeed at the next level, and he has a nice skill set to help him reach his goals.
“He’s a competitor,” Wiegmann said. “He’s physically gifted, he’s mentally tough, he’s strong, and he’s got faith in his ability, and faith in God that everything is going to be OK.”
“He’s gonna do well,” Wiegmann added. “I’m happy for him and I don’t think anybody deserves it more than him. He’s been a great athlete for four years. He’s put in the work, he’s put in the time and he comes from a great family also. I’m excited for him.”
Whitney Young has earned a reputation as one of the top schools in the city for track and field, and although Gardner is moving on he has some words of wisdom for athletes who plan on taking up the sport at Young after he departs for college.
“Track is not a sport where you can just come out for a few hours and then go home. It’s a sport where you have to be focused on your goal,” Gardner said. “You really have to be steadfast and know what you’re there for.”
“You can’t run track for praise from other people,” he adds. “You have to do it for yourself. You have to do it for the love of it, and you have to be hungry and stay competitive.”
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.
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