Not too many kids grow up wanting to be triple jumpers.
But when Kiski Area graduate Jalen Cloud got a taste of the event as an eighth grader, he was hooked.
“I like the fact that a lot of people can’t do it, that it’s an unorthodox movement,” said Cloud, a graduate student at Cal (Pa.). “It’s a hard event for people to learn. You can’t just pick it up.
“Everyone can run 100 meters. They might not be fast at it. They might not be good at it, but they can do it. But not everyone can go over to a jump pit and do a triple jump and actually look like a triple jumper.”
Cloud certainly has looked the part since arriving at Cal, where he holds the school record for indoor (47 feet, 53⁄4 inches) and placed third at the PSAC championships as a junior. He also competes in the long jump and runs relays.
In the season-opening Youngstown State Icebreaker on Dec. 3, Cloud took second in the triple jump with a distance of 45-41⁄2. That qualified him for the conference championships and is more impressive considering he used a shorter approach. Rather than use the standard 14 or 16 strides before taking off, Cloud only used 10.
“Triple jump is a very brutal event,” said Cal assistant coach Brady Wert, who oversees the jumpers. “It puts a lot of stress on the body, the joints. … We wanted to go out in the beginning and see where he’s at but at the same time make sure he’s healthy.
“What that jump tells us is that not only should he be able to PR but put himself in a pretty good position to qualify for nationals this year.”
The national qualifying standard for this year is 47-41⁄2, according to the NCAA website.
The fact that Cloud is making a push for nationals says a lot for someone who wasn’t even planning to compete in college. At Kiski Area, he went to indoor states in the triple jump as a senior, but a hyperextended knee suffered during the first day of practice derailed his outdoor season. He chose Cal because of its forensics program, and after talking with coaches during his visit, he decided to attend practices in the fall. At the 2018 PSAC indoor championships, Cloud placed fifth in the triple jump and eighth in the long jump. That helped earn him a scholarship.
“I think he was definitely under-recruited and overlooked,” Wert said.
At 5-foot-10, Cloud is not considered tall for a triple jumper, but he has become faster in college and also demonstrates a flair, his coach said.
“He shows up to a competition, and, obviously, every athlete wants to compete well. But the more people that happen to be there, the more he wants to put on a show, but not in a selfish manner where he’s being a show-off,” Wert said. “He wants to put on a good performance for not only himself but for his teammates, his competitors and everyone else. He elevates the competition.”
Cloud chose to return for a fifth season after changing his academic focus to psychology and is enrolled in Cal’s clinical mental health counseling program. He admits his mindset has changed considering he has only a handful of meets left.
“After this, it’s all done for me for track,” Cloud said.
“I realize this is my last chance, so I might as well go full in on it and give it my best shot.”
