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TROJAN HOPES TO LEAP INTO STATE FINALS
PETALUMA HIGH SENIOR STUMBLED INTO SPORT,DISCOVERED HIDDEN TALENT

DATE: Friday, May 26, 2006
BYLINE: By NATHAN WRIGHT
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Mike Clifford joined the Petaluma High track team to get in shape for football, and ended up becoming the
top jumper in the Sonoma County League.
The 17-year-old senior won both the triple jump and long jump events this year at the SCL championship meet,
and took fifth in the high jump.
In last weekend's North Coast Section meet, he took fourth place in the triple jump and fifth in the long
jump, earning a spot in this weekend's Meet of Champions in Berkeley, the Northern California track finals. If
he finishes high enough he will continue to the state finals later this month.
``Every year I've made it to MOC, but I've never been able to move on (to state),'' he said. ``It would be
really nice for me to take this next step this year.''
Clifford was a football player when, in his sophomore year, he tried jumping in a gym class. He remembers
his teacher telling him that he was jumping higher than the members of the track team, so he decided he'd give
it a chance.
``It turned out to be a perfect fit for me,'' he said. ``I was just really out there for fun, training for
football. It turned out that I was much better at this than I was at football.''
Clifford says he was never really interested in beating his opponents. While he enjoyed trying to best his
previous jumps, he sometimes left track meets without even checking to see who had won the event.
``Toward the end of the season my coach asked me if I knew that I had won every triple jump,'' he said.
``I never really asked the other athletes how they were doing. I just did my thing.''
Track coach Frank Martinez calls Clifford an unassuming athlete who has become a valuable part of the Trojans'
track and field team.
``He's been one of our better all-around jumpers in recent years,'' Martinez said. ``He just goes about his
business and gets things done.''
Martinez attributes Clifford's success to natural talent and seasonal training. Clifford doesn't train year-
round, but he shows up for track season and produces.
Martinez says his team was very young this year, and Clifford helped mentor the younger jumpers.
``He got them going in the right direction,'' he said. ``With all the rain we didn't get into jumping until
a month ago.''
Clifford hopes to continue his jumping career next year at Boston University.
He's not going to the school for athletics, but hopes to walk on with the team and continue improving.
Someday he may even consider the other track members as his opponents instead of only himself.
``When you can surpass yourself you get a great feeling of accomplishment,'' he said. ``I get a rush out of
it.''
Joining Clifford at this weekend's Meet of Champions are teammates Michael Carroll (400m), Sterling Lockkey
(1600 and 3200 run), Kimi Vaughan (800m), Jordan Cabral (pole vault) and Karina McElroy (100m). Vaughan and
McElory also are competing in the 4x400m relay with Ali Carroll and Cara Brooke.
You can reach Correspondent Nathan Wright at 694-4053 or nwright01@gmail.com.

ENHANCER: root

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