Thegatewaynews.com - Standout jumper thriving at Streetsboro

by Colin Harris

Reporter

Transferring high schools can create a unique set of problems for any student.

So when junior Mike Moore came to Streetsboro before his sophomore year, leaving his home state of Tennessee to do so, the wall facing him was that much higher.

Fortunately for Moore, he did what he has been doing the past two years as a member of the Rockets' track team. He jumped right over it.

"One thing you have to know about Mike is that he's a quick learner," Streetsboro head coach Tom Fesemyer said. "He came here his sophomore year and my assistant coach told me that he looked like someone who could be a 20-foot long jumper."

Fesemyer's assistant couldn't have been any more on target as Moore burst onto the county's track scene last year as one of the Portage Trail Conference's finest leapers, cementing his standing by taking first-place honors in both the high and long jump events at last year's PTC Championships.

Moore's efforts were a crucial part of the Rockets' second consecutive County Division title and, if you ask him, the end result is all that matters.

"I just really wanted to help the team out," Moore said. "I came onto the team and coach asked me if I'd be interested in jumping. I started to really like jumping after awhile, but I'm really just all about our team winning."

In an attempt to further help the team this season, the 5-foot-10 Moore, who also is a standout on the Rockets' football and basketball teams , answered his coach's call to run the 110-meter hurdles for the first time.

According to Fesemyer, the transition to hurdles hasn't always been smooth, but it has given Moore yet another opportunity to put his natural talents on display.

"When Mike ran the hurdles for the first time, he actually fell down as he went over a hurdle," Fesemyer said. "The crazy thing is, though, he got back up and almost completely caught up to the field.

"I think the best way to describe Mike is that he is all heart and desire," Fesemyer said. "He showed his heart when he came onto the team as a new student, he showed it winning the long and high jumps last season and he's showing it again as he has taken on another event this year."

Moore, who Fesemyer says has shown a new level of focus this season, credits a lot of his success to his teammates and the structure that his coaches provide.

"My teammates push each other so hard that it's hard to slip up," Moore said. "It's like coach Fesemyer always says, 'Go hard or go home.' That's how I go about working at the sport."

E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3914