Monica and proud Mom, Michelle
You would think that someone who won the Montgomery County and 4A West Regional Championships and that finished second in the state championships would be practicing their craft day after day, hour after hour and living and breathing their sport. But that is not the case for Blake High School’s Monica Gerald.
Gerald, a graduating senior, who will be attending Towson University in the fall, just does not have the time to practice the high jump every day. “I just get to the meets and jump”, said Gerald. “The overall goal is for the team and I spend most of my time sprinting and hurdling.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF MONICA HIGH JUMP AT INDOOR STATES (2:05-2:08)
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF MONICA HURDLING 4A WEST SEMIS
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF MONICA HURDLING 4A WEST FINALS
Gerald besides being an accomplished high jumper (5-04 three times last year) is also a proficient hurdler. She placed in both the 300 and 100 hurdles at her county and regional championships. Besides finishing second in the high jump at the state meet, she was also ninth in the 100 hurdles.
Gerald was an accomplished basketball player in middle school and as a freshman in high school, but after a successful freshman track season she was talked into giving up basketball for a set of running spikes. “My friends said I should really stick with running” said Gerald, “but I never even tried high jumping until sometime in my sophomore year.”
She was successful early on clearing 4-10 on a number of occasions, using her basketball skills to get her over the bar. The five foot barrier seemed like an insurmountable goal early on. “I would look at it and hear five foot and I just couldn’t get myself over. It was all mental” said the Blake jumper. “Coach Nazarro would tell me it was 4-10, when it was really 5-00 and when I cleared it a couple of times, and then he told me that it really was 5-00. After that it was all easy”.
Her first time over 5-00 in competition was at the Viking Invitational last year and after that going higher hasn’t been nearly as difficult. “Clearing 5-1, 5-2, 5-3 and 5-4 was easy, I wasn’t even thinking about it, but I’ve been having some trouble again with 5-6. I guess I’m thinking too much,” said Gerald.
Gerald has an interesting way of getting ready for competition on the day of her event – she doesn’t warm up or jump. “All I really do is get my steps down” said Gerald. “After that I just go sit down and relax”. She finds herself getting a little nervous in the larger meets, but she helps relieve those nerves by bringing her friends over and talking. “It gets my mind off the meet”, she said.
She gets herself prepared for jumping at the higher heights by coming in at 4-06. Unusual for championship caliber jumpers, but Gerald finds it necessary. “Since I don’t jump during warm-ups, I need those jumps at the lower heights to get myself ready”, said Gerald.
A typical week of practices for the jumper/hurdler is to run with the sprinters on Monday, hurdle on Tuesday and once again run and hurdle on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Her only time jumping during the week is after her hurdling practice on Wednesday and she works on her steps on Friday. “I don’t do any plyo’s or weight training during the season – but maybe I should”, said Gerald.
She will have that chance to change her training habits when she enters Towson University next year. “Coach Erricker is sending me a training schedule for the summer which will have a lot of strength training built into the program,” said Gerald. “I’m really excited about being able to jump with jumpers that are better than me. It will be interesting to see how high I can really go.”
Monica Gerald’s High School Statistics
5 Gerald, Monica 01:09.34 Hubie Blake 11 400 Montgomery Invite 2007-01-13
6 Gerald, Monica 09.30 Hubie Blake 55 Hurdles Montgomery County Championships 2007-01-24
23 Gerald, Monica 09.58 Hubie Blake 11 55 Hurdles Montgomery Invite 2007-01-13
6 Gerald, Monica 09.69 Hubie Blake 11 55 Hurdles 4A3A Indoor Regionals 2007-02-20
25 Gerald, Monica 09.97 Hubie Blake 12 55 Hurdles Montgomery Invitational 2008-01-12
1 Gerald, Monica 15.60 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Katie Jenkins Invite 2006-05-04
3 Gerald, Monica 15.70 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Katie Jenkins Invitational 2008-05-03
3 Gerald, Monica 16.17 Hubie Blake 12 100 Hurdles 4A West Regionals 2008-05-17
3 Gerald, Monica 16.30 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Katie Jenkins Invite 2007-05-05
9 Gerald, Monica 16.30 Hubie Blake 12 100 Hurdles Maryland State Championships 2008-05-24
5 Gerald, Monica 16.46 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Montgomery County Championships 2008-05-07
6 Gerald, Monica 16.49 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Montgomery County Championships 2008-05-07
4 Gerald, Monica 16.60 Hubie Blake 10 100 Hurdles 4AN Regional 2006-05-20
9 Gerald, Monica 16.64 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Montgomery County Championships 2007-05-10
4 Gerald, Monica 16.70 Hubie Blake 12 100 Hurdles 4A West Regionals 2008-05-17
5 Gerald, Monica 16.80 Hubie Blake 10 100 Hurdles Urbana Invite 2006-04-28
5 Gerald, Monica 16.80 Hubie Blake 11 100 Hurdles Maryland Outdoor Regional Championships 2007-04-19
4 Gerald, Monica 16.80 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Katie Jenkins Invitational 2008-05-03
3 Gerald, Monica 16.92 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Montgomery County Championships 2006-05-13
10 Gerald, Monica 17.20 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Viking Invite 2007-04-21
4 Gerald, Monica 17.80 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Katie Jenkins Invitational 2008-05-03
12 Gerald, Monica 19.00 Hubie Blake 100 Hurdles Urbana Invite 2005-04-23
2 Gerald, Monica 27.10 Hubie Blake 200 Katie Jenkins Invite 2006-05-04
9 Gerald, Monica 28.30 Hubie Blake 10 200 4AN Regional 2006-05-20
8 Gerald, Monica 51.70 Hubie Blake 300 Hurdles Urbana Invite 2005-04-23
16 Gerald, Monica 51.82 Hubie Blake 9 300 Hurdles 4A West Outdoor Regionals 2005-05-19
21 Gerald, Monica 52.50 Hubie Blake 300 Hurdles Montgomery County Outdoor Championships 2005-05-12
13 Gerald, Monica 55.50 Hubie Blake 300 Hurdles Cougar Relays 2005-04-16
5 Gerald, Monica 4-08.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Katie Jenkins Invite 2006-05-04
12 Gerald, Monica 4-08.00 Hubie Blake 11 High Jump 4A3A State Championships 2007-02-22
4 Gerald, Monica 4-08.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump 4A West Regional 2008-02-06
4 Gerald, Monica 4-09.00 Hubie Blake 11 High Jump 4A3A Indoor Regionals 2007-02-20
13 Gerald, Monica 4-10.00 Hubie Blake 11 High Jump Montgomery Invite 2007-01-13
4 Gerald, Monica 4-10.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Montgomery County Championships 2007-01-24
3 Gerald, Monica 4-10.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Montgomery County Championships 2007-05-10
1 Gerald, Monica 4-10.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Cougar Relays 2008-04-05
3 Gerald, Monica 5-00.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Viking Invite 2007-04-21
1 Gerald, Monica 5-00.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Katie Jenkins Invite 2007-05-05
5 Gerald, Monica 5-00.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump Southern Maryland Mega Meet 2008-01-05
5 Gerald, Monica 5-00.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump Montgomery Invitational 2008-01-12
3 Gerald, Monica 5-00.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump Maryland State Championships 2008-02-14
1 Gerald, Monica 5-02.00 Hubie Blake 11 High Jump Maryland Outdoor Regional Championships 2007-04-19
5 Gerald, Monica 5-02.00 Hubie Blake 11 High Jump Maryland State Championships 2007-05-25
1 Gerald, Monica 5-03.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Katie Jenkins Invitational 2008-05-03
1 Gerald, Monica 5-04.00 Hubie Blake High Jump Montgomery County Championships 2008-05-07
1 Gerald, Monica 5-04.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump 4A West Regionals 2008-05-17
2 Gerald, Monica 5-04.00 Hubie Blake 12 High Jump Maryland State Championships 2008-05-24