Ray Oldham jumps to new heights

Photo Caption- Senior Ray Oldham clears 6’8” for a personal high jump record.

By Max Davis-Housefield

HUB Staff

“It feels like you’re flying when you’re up in the air,” senior Ray Oldham said. After jumping 6’8” at a track meet in Pittsburgh, California on Jan. 22, Oldham found himself ranked 1st in the state for high school high jumpers. He was also ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Oldham started doing the high jump, a track and field event, in 7th grade, but didn’t get serious until his junior year. At the beginning of the year, he could jump 6 feet. He soon found himself progressing higher every week, jumping 6’6” by the end of the year.

During the off season, Oldham trained “a ton.” He visited the gym three times per week, working tirelessly to build muscles with olympic style lifting and front squats.

He worked especially on building his leg muscles, focusing on his hamstrings and quads. Ankle strength and hip flexibility are also very important for the high jump. “I’m not very flexible,” admitted Oldham.

All of the training paid off when Oldham cleared 6’8” at the beginning of this year’s track season.

Lou Payne coaches Oldham. “Ray has jumped a new personal record nearly every time he has competed at a meet,” he said.

“I’m a bit of a showman, so I like the crowd,” Oldham said. “I like exceeding expectations, stuff like that.”

The next step for Oldham is holding his record.

“Of course it is early season, there’s always better jumpers coming and the leading height in the state will of course increase as the season goes on,” he said.

He wants to be ready for that. He’s going to work up to jumping higher, “cause that’s always the goal,” Oldham said.

“The Davis High school record is something I’m definitely shooting for this year,” Oldham said.

“The 6’9” school record set by Kyle Clancy in 2015 is in serious danger,” Payne said.

When he’s not jumping or sprinting down the track, Oldham spends his time watching television, hanging out with his friends, and keeping up with his school work.

However, “track really is my life right now,” Oldham said.

Oldham is unsure what he is going to do after high school. He said he has had offers to jump for colleges, but he isn’t sure if that’s the right path for him. The one thing he knows is that he would like to keep doing the high jump.