By her admission, rising sophomore Maya Davis of Oak Park and River Forest High School considers herself to be a sprinter at heart. But she’s quick to appreciate the success she has achieved in the high jump, an event she tried for the first time in February.
“I’ve always been a sprinter and long jumper but I wanted to try something new coming off an injury,” Davis told Wednesday Journal. “It just clicked for me.”
Indeed, it clicked to the tune of winning both the indoor frosh-soph championship and the outdoor varsity championship at the West Suburban Silver conference meets this spring. She admitted to being surprised by the instant success, but she’s also grateful for the encouragement and support shown by OPRF assistant track and field coach Tim Bannon, who oversees the high jump for both the girls and boys programs.
“It was really unexpected. I hadn’t tried it before, but my coach kept telling me that he thought I would do well,” Davis said. “It turned out really well and I’m very grateful to my coaches pushing me in that direction. Coach Bannon is a great coach. He doesn’t yell at the athletes, he’s very respectful and takes time to understand your thought process throughout the sport, whether you need help with something or have doubts. He really has a great understanding of not only the athletes, but of the sport as a whole.”
For his part, Bannon saw Davis’ high jump potential not long after she came out for the event.
“It came out of nowhere,” he said. “We try to introduce athletes to as many new events as possible and try to see what they like and are good at. Maya had run in middle school but hadn’t tried (the high jump).
“Her first indoor meet, she jumped five feet, which is exceptional for a freshman, right under the (state) qualifying standards. I realized that she’s got talent. High jump is a technical event and you’ve got to have a lot of different elements in sync. She worked very hard on all of them and got better and better.”
As the WSC Silver outdoor meet approached, Davis was promoted to varsity, and it paid immediate dividends as she won the high jump with a height of 1.62 meters.
“The WSC Silver is one of the top conferences in the state, and Maya won the varsity high jump as a freshman, which is remarkable and terrific,” Bannon said.
Unfortunately, Davis got injured later in another event at conference and wasn’t able to compete in the sectional, depriving her of the opportunity to qualify for state. But after recovering, she set out to hone her new-found high jump success this summer.
In June, Davis, competing for the Elevated Academy Track Club, set a personal-best mark of 1.65 meters in the Age 15-16 Division at the American Amateur Union Central District Qualifier and won the Jane Dickens Invitational with the same height. In July, she qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics with a second-place finish at the Region 13 Qualifier, and at the Junior Olympics held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, August 3, she placed fifth with a height of 1.63 m.
“It was a really exciting experience,” said Davis of the national meet. “I never thought I would go to nationals in the high jump; it was really unexpected. I’m just grateful to have that experience.”
Davis, who also plays flag football at OPRF, added she’ll use the Junior Olympics as a learning experience as she goes forward with the high jump. She credits her parents – Nicole McCann-Davis and Phillip Davis, Bannon, and Elevated Coach Dave Rogers as the reasons for her success.
“My parents have really pushed me in sports since I was young. That’s how they’ve raised me,” Davis said. “When I started doing track, I decided to take it seriously, and my parents found a club for me. They’re at every meet and practice supporting me and are there if I need any advice. I can count on my parents to help me reach my goals and become the best person I can be.”
Bannon believes that the best is yet to come for Davis.
“She’s a great young lady with a lot of talent and she works hard,” he said. “She wants to get better and I think she’s got a great future.”