Jumping up a Storm
Cole Wiersma can do it all.
The 16-year-old, Grade 10 student at Smithville Christian High School plays volleyball and basketball for the Storm and last year tried his hand at track and field where he immediately achieved success.
Wiersma placed seventh in the high jump at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) meet last year with a personal best jump of 1.71 metres.
“He’s a talented kid who is just starting to understand the sport,” Smithville track coach Wanita May said. “Last year he was green. He had no experience, nothing, and he made OFSAA. You can’t ask for anymore than a PB.”
Wiersma has set his goals much higher this time around.
“My goal is definitely OFSAA,” he said. “I’ve set goals of jumping 1.90 at the beginning of the season and I feel I can reach that.”
May said Wiersma is a tireless worker who has only scratched the surface of his potential.
“At the first indoor training we were laughing because we weren’t telling him the heights. We just kept raising the bar and he was doing 1.75 in the cafeteria! We couldn’t even use the gym because of badminton,” May said. “He wants to be challenged.”
As good as Wiersma is and may become at high jump, it’s volleyball that’s nearest and dearest to high heart — he just returned from Edmonton where he captained the Niagara Rapids at nationals.
“I like volleyball a lot better,” he said. “I’ve been playing it a lot longer and I’ve had more success in it so far.”
Wiersma is able to do participate in both track and volleyball for the time being.
“Mostly training for high jump and volleyball is pretty much the same so I train and do workouts for volleyball and that helps for high jump anyway,” he said. “I find I can balance it pretty easily. It’s just finding the time when to go to what.”
He knows the day will come when he will finally have to choose and concentrate on one.
“Track and volleyball are at different times. When volleyball season is done, track season is just starting so once I get to university I will have to pick which one I have more potential in and which one I can go somewhere for,” he said.
Wiersma jumped 1.75 metres Thursday to place first in the junior boys division at the Niagara Region High School Athletic Association Zone 4 track and field meet at Welland Centennial.
He also placed fourth in the triple jump (11.30), sixth in the long jump and was a member of the 4 x 100 relay team for the Storm.
“He’s a good, all around kid,” May added. “He’s willing to do the work and do whatever needs to be done.”
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