Micah Lockett gets another chance at gold Friday in Austin on the biggest stage at the UIL State track and Field Championship this weekend in Austin.
Lockett brings one of the best jumps in the nation to Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas. The Nacogdoches High School junior will jump at 9 a.m. Friday in the Class 5A meet.
Lockett roared onto the scene a year ago, qualifying for the state meet by clearing 6-feet, 9-inches at regionals. He topped 6-4 in Austin, good enough for fourth place. Now he’s back for another chance.
“Consistency, consistency, consistency,” preached NHS track coach Jay Brown while Lockett began warming up for practice at Dragon Stadium last week.
At practice – and the Dragon Relays back in March – Lockett simply blasts off the ground. The ease and grace he soars over the bar disguises the sheer force and strength required. (Need a reference point on how high Lockett is jumping? The tops of most door frames inside homes today are just an inch or two below 7 feet… Lockett is clearing that.)
Brown said that remaining narrowly focused on his technique is the key when performing at the state meet in Austin. Steadfastly zeroing in on doing everything the way you know how to do it is the only way to avoid all the trappings that come with an appearance at any competitive meet.
It’s a challenge, though, said Lockett.
“Trying to stay focused on that bar is difficult,” he said. “There’s so much going on around you.”
The number of skilled jumpers in the stadium Friday will be a factor, Brown said. And jumpers are in the spotlight before, during, and after each try. The participant’s name is announced before they begin with a summary of their accomplishments, and the jumper’s face is on the stadium's big screen. The entire process of getting to jump is different from most track meets.
“We’re hoping that the fact he was down there a year ago will help him be prepared for all of that this time,” Brown said. “I tell him always that it doesn’t matter what you have done or not done before, it’s about this moment. Perform in it.
Lockett didn’t begin high jump until last year as a sophomore. His performance on the basketball court for the Dragons – Lockett is… um, an enthusiastic dunker – led NHS coaches to think he would fit nicely into the event. They were right.
A year ago, Lockett was topping 6-4 by the district track meet to earn first place, then came his second-place jump of 6-9 at the regionals meet. This year, the junior has pushed further, clearing 7-0 more than once and reaching 7-1 at the area meet. That was good enough for a high schooler's third-best jump in the nation this spring.
“Micah has established himself as a true 7-foot high jumper who can go higher any time,” Brown said. “Hopefully, that’s this weekend.”
Topping 7-feet has Lockett on everyone’s radar around the state. He’s been invited twice to Texas A&M for meets this semester, including the Bluebonnet Relays, where some of the best performers in the state and nation took to the track.
Brown said that focusing on what Lockett can control is the best way forward.
“Managing those expectations, paying close attention to the details of jumping while going for the gold medal is all he can do,” Brown said. “And be consistently competitive.”