Salute To Seniors: Elias Gerald (Westlake)

Jul 16, 2022

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What was your most memorable race/throw/jump/vault/moment?

My most memorable moment was the jump off at state between me and Connor Saunders of Syracuse. Both of us cleared 7ft making it 2 top 10 US high jumpers at one meet. Breaking the state record along with it there was such camaraderie between me and Connor and we both had a great time.

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

My biggest competition was probably myself. at times it was a mental battle going into each meet jumping in hurdling. With high jump being a mental sport it definitely plays in affect when you're jumping alone. Jacob Smart of Skyridge was also tough hurdler

What was your greatest accomplishment?

That's a tough one, my best accomplishment was probably winning nationals at Nike indoor in New York City. had some stiff competition there. But we won it all

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?

The one thing I would've changed was signing up for more events. and competing at more meets. I always did my three events and left room for a fourth each time. Sometimes my PR's came from the days where I was most out of it. So the meets that I skipped I will never know if that was a chance for me to be at my best level

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

The most difficult obstacle at overcome was training or the mental roadblocks. Training is balls to the wall sometimes. Especially at a high level.

What will you miss the most?

I'm going to miss my coaches and high school friends the most. Continuing my career in California is going to cut a few ties. I'll miss all my friends and competitors. I made some great bonds over the turf

What advice would you give to younger athletes?

Train hard and try new things. You never know what you could be good at, I didn't start high jumping till my freshman year even though I've long jumped since 3rd or 4th grade. And yet high jump is what I'm best at.

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?

My coach really opened up my eyes to all the possibilities. He really made me see the bigger picture when it came to my events or at life. My coach helped me succeed and become the best athlete I could be in my Jr year. I wouldn't be where I am today with out them.

What are your college plans?

I plan on attending the University of Southern California on athletic scholarship. I will be competing air and long jump high jump and learning how to triple jump. There's a lot of exciting things in store for me at USC. I will be majoring in Sports Broadcasting through communications. I'm excited to compete at such a high level and represent Utah. My goal is to become a national champion and with the squad we have at USC maybe team national champions. Hopefully college sets me up for my future career academically and athletically.

Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?

I'd like to thank my family, my girlfriend, my high school and college coaches. And above all God for giving me the gift and ability to do what I do.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Follow me on insta I don't want to forget my track friends! @eliasdgerald