#So Close: A Dream Deferred

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Muttering under his breath as he walked around the Albuquerque Convention Center, Jason Smith looked at the 27 foot marker in the long jump pit; the 7 foot, six inch bar of the high jump and realized, that this time, his opportunity would have to wait.

                Of Long Beach State's approximately 350 student-athletes, nearly all were affected by last week's decision to cancel competition immediately for winter and spring sports.

                Despite that, there's little doubt that none were hit harder than senior Jason Smith. Competing in his final season of Indoor Track and Field, Smith was breaking new ground in the winter half of the team's competition, and had become the first student-athlete at the Beach to qualify for the NCAA Championships in multiple events. He was also just the 22nd to qualify in the modern era of LBSU Track and Field under long-time Director of Track and Field Andy Sythe.

                That was just the start of big dreams for Smith and the season. "Having a good start to the season is huge," said Smith. "Coach Sythe and I were looking at my numbers before the year, and every outdoor season I've jumped a foot further than my best mark indoor. Especially in an Olympic year where you have to go big to make it to the trials, indoor season took on a new importance."

                Smith had qualified for the high jump with a new PR of 7'03.25" at the same Albuquerque venue earlier in the season, when competing at the Don Kirby Elite meet. He then set a new PR in the long jump the next day at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, placing fourth with a mark of 25'10.25" and setting a new school record in the process.

                Athletes at that meet had struggled with the speed of the runway in Albuquerque, so having experienced that already would give Smith an edge as well as his focus, which has always proven a competitive strength, as it was earlier in the year when he won the long jump at the MPSF Indoor Championships.

                "Not everyone will have their best meet at a championship level, but Jason's the kind of guy who can deliver in a championship scenario," said Sythe. "His mental preparation and being ready to compete in tough situations is not something every jumper can do, but it's a quality that stands out for him even more than his talent, of which he has plenty."

                Hopes were at their highest for the Indoor National Championships. "We had introduced a new approach to Jason at the MPSF meet and we knew that it would take a while to get into a groove and find his new faster rhythm. His progress was going really well," added Sythe. "He was four inches away from winning the long jump at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, and Jason's mindset was purely to make a significant impact and challenge for the win in both events."

                Meanwhile, circumstances around sports and the coronavirus were changing rapidly. At home in the Walter Pyramid, the Big West Women's Basketball tournament had proceeded, albeit without fans in the days preceding. The NCAA announced Wednesday that the Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled to start on Friday, March 13 would follow the same procedure, so Sythe and Smith boarded a plane with the goal of bringing back the first individual national championship for the Beach since 1997.

                After a trip that Smith described as "eerie," the duo landed in Albuquerque, passed through a mostly empty airport other than NCAA National Championship signage everywhere, and set themselves to doing their best in that event.

                Thursday morning, the Albuquerque Convention Center is already in full championship regalia, and with the announcement that no fans at all will be allowed into the venue, the building felt much like it would when competition would start the next day.

                "People were handling their business, preparing themselves to have great meets," noted Smith. "All the schools were out there, it was busy. It was so professional. You could feel the intensity in the building, everyone was in the zone, trying to prep their mentality for competition, and I was doing the same thing. I was going in there to win."

                While a few conferences had already suspended competition, most were still in the building, preparing for the meet the next day, running sprints on the track, checking their equipment, doing approach work when news started to spread about the fate of not just the indoor championships, but all NCAA competition.

                "Taking it all in was so sad because not everybody knew yet. Everyone came all this way, we're all here, and we can't do what we came here to do. It was deflating. Some people were really upset, angry, while others were just totally down and crying. I was really emotional too. I'd been so engaged on one thing and so it took me a while to process.

                "It was tragic. I couldn't think of anything like that ever happening, it was overwhelming. Just coming so close and not being able to see it through was such a tease."

                After a moment, Smith started to take stock of the bigger picture while still being at the national championship. "The way I saw it, this was my last shot at the indoor championship, so I wanted to soak it all in, document it, take in the moment. I was so close, but you have to look at the bigger picture."

                The dreams won't stop for Smith even after getting so close. Classes will continue as he pursues a degree in Kinesiology in pursuit of a career in Occupational Therapy. "Big opportunity there for everyone to get their grades up," Smith laughs as he works through the next steps in his competitive career, whether it's in NCAA meets, the now 2021 Tokyo Olympics or beyond.

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Jason Smith

Long Beach State University Athletics