The biggest high jump challenge for Toby Kemble is the run up.
The Hauraki Plains College year 9 student told The Profile: “if you get the run up right, then it falls into place”.
It was something the young athlete made look easy with a series of first place positions in four recent championships.
But leaping to the top spots wasn’t where it ended.
Toby also broke three consecutive records.
The high jumper, who stands at five feet and 11 inches tall, landed first place in the junior boys high jump event at the Hauraki Plains College Athletics Champs on February 25, and smashed the previous 1.53m record with his whopper record of 1.73m.
Toby said he felt really proud because he wanted his name to be known at the college, but “I also felt I could have jumped higher – I had the wrong spikes on which didn’t help”.
The high jumper then competed at the Thames Valley Secondary Schools Athletics Champs on March 18, where he leaped to first place and wiped out the old record of 1.67m with his fresh record of 1.75m.
The rising star said even though he felt pretty good, he wanted to hit his goal mark of 1.8m.
Toby also snapped up first place for the junior boys high jump event at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Secondary School Athletics Champs on March 25, and once again knocked out the old record of 1.75m with his new 1.78m record.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Toby competed at the North Island Secondary Schools Athletics Champs on April 5 as part of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Secondary School Athletics Team and snapped up the first place spot again for the junior boys high jump.
The key to his success was simple – “[I] clear my head of stuff and just concentrate on jumping.
“I don’t think as much before I jump, I just look at the bar and have a vision of getting over it.”
But high jump wasn’t always on Toby’s radar.
The thirteen-year-old athlete said it was something he realised he was good at last November at his former school, Mangatangi Primary School.
The high-flying athlete said he competed in the high jump at the school’s athletics event and then progressed to the Auckland Champs where he outdid the previous 1.68 record with his 1.74 leap.
That’s when Toby started “taking it more seriously as a sport”.
The event was one of the most memorable moments for Toby and he said it “changed my whole vision of high jump”.
The rest is history.
Toby believed the thing that set him apart from other high jumpers was “probably my mindset”, he said.
“When I step up to jump, I get my mindset into the zone of jumping.”
An important lesson he learned was “don’t worry or overthink if you knock over the bar in your first two attempts – change your mindset to think you can do it”.
Two key people who helped Toby to stay motivated and focussed were his parents.
Toby said his mum, who bought him all his gear and transported him to all his events, was so supportive, and his dad always pushed him to give one hundred per cent no matter what the results were.
But when it came to a practice regime, Toby didn’t have a coach or a training schedule – “I just show up and jump”, he said.
Finding a coach to help him improve in the sport was a top priority for him and his parents, who are currently on the lookout.
It was among the high jumpers list of goals: hit the 1.8m or higher, practice run ups and techniques to get higher over the bar, and find a coach.
But his top high jump advice for other students was to do whatever feels comfortable for the run up and jump off and “get a strong mindset”, he said.
“Always believe you will get over the bar.”
