COLUMBIA -- When Taina LaPorte finally pulled her arms away from her face she revealed a smile.
The smile, like her hands before, was only there to conceal her frustration. The Dutch Fork senior cleared 5 feet, 8 inches to win the high jump on day one of the Taco Bell Classic. It was the second straight week she’s cleared her personal best and the second straight week she thought she should have cleared 5-10 as well.
"When I have competition, I feel like I can fly," said LaPorte, who is committed to Ole Miss. "But once I’m out there by myself…"
She let her shoulders sink to show how the solitude deflates her. LaPorte is then left alone with her thoughts. And all everyone watching only her.
"When you get to the higher heights, it’s not just talent anymore," she said. "It’s all about technique. You’re trying to fix so many things. You want to change your approach. Then all of a sudden you have two misses and you only have one left."
LaPorte advanced through all her earlier heights on the first attempt. LaTondra Morrow of Harding University High (N.C.) and Hoover’s Chardonae Fuqua, tied for second-place, were both still in the competition at 5-8. But once they fouled out, LaPorte was left with high she’s been trying to reach all year.
"The butterflies started coming," she said. "It’s frustrating. I just have to go back to practice and keep working on it."
It wasn’t the height that set off the nerves in Hillcrest junior Wesley Edwards. It was his two misses at 6 feet, 4 inches. Edwards said that he had lost is focus but only one thing could solve that.
"You get scared," he said. "I knew if I didn’t make it that I couldn’t win."
Christian Stevens of Carolina Fort and Martian Washington of Beaufort had already cleared 6-4. Another miss meant third for Edwards. Instead he cleared that bar and then matched his personal best, 6-6, to claim the victory.
Georgia’s Brookwood won the boys 4x800 in 8 minutes, 1.80 seconds with Sean Brennan, Kisean Smith, Michael Giuliano and Jackson Wearn. Brookwood battled with Chapin and then Hoover for three legs before Wearn took command on the last lap with a 1:58.8 anchor leg.
"It just wasn’t there for us today," said Wearn, adding that his team was looking to attack the Georgia state record after running 7:55.67 last week. "We wish we could have run faster but it’s great to get a win."
Lakeside Evans won the girls 4x800 in 9 minutes, 36.35 seconds with Jasmine Payne, Katie Townsend, Sarah Bowles and Anna Bowles. Townsend took the lead on the second leg. Sarah Bowles extended it and her sister put the race out of reach.
"We’re really surprised," Anna Bowles said. "We didn’t come here thinking we could win. It’s really exciting.
