UPEI track and field team adds versatile jumper

The UPEI track and field program is adding a local, versatile jumper to the team.

In a Jan. 21 release, UPEI Panthers head coach Colin MacAdam said he hopes 18-year-old Jeremy Norman can develop into an elite competitor who will challenge for medals.

The Charlottetown native may not be the first jumper the Panthers have fielded, but Norman is the first to participate in all three jumping events, including the high jump.

“Norman is a very good athlete who can compete in a number of events for us,” MacAdam said.

Norman started as a sprinter but was always interested in jumping events, especially the high jump. In Grade 8, he decided to dip his feet into the event despite not having any training.

At first, Norman struggled, but as a self-motivator he searched for videos online for professional jumpers and studied their technique.

“I was also always interested in track and field from a young age, watching sprinters like Usain Bolt and jumpers like Christian Taylor at the Olympics, and being amazed how far they could push their bodies to produce the results they wanted,” said Norman.

In high school, he picked up two other jumping events. While COVID-19 made competing challenging, Norman still competed in local meets in 2021, where he placed first in all three jumping events.

“I believe that honestly critiquing even the smallest flaws in your technique and actively working towards correcting those flaws makes for the most successful jump athletes,” he said.

MacAdam said he is excited to see how Norman fares against the best the AUS has to offer in the jumping events, but he also sees a world of potential in his newest recruit as a runner.

“Jeremy can help us out in a variety of events, but the best fit may eventually be in multi-events like heptathlon or decathlon,” MacAdam said. “That will require a lot of work and some serious logistics when dealing with training, but he has a great set of abilities.”