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05/19/2016 12:00 AMJordan Lembo-Frey began his track career in 8th grade and has seen a steady drop in his times for the sprinting events ever since. Now in his third year with Guilford’s outdoor track team, Jordan is dashing his way to a breakout season as he leads the Indians in dual-meet points with 133 and also tied the school record in the 100 by clocking in at 11.2 seconds.
“It’s just been a lot of hard work and dedication, along with following my coaches’ instructions. I just loved my teammates and coaches when I first got into track and so I stuck with it,” says Jordan, a junior who also competes in the 200, 400, and 4x400 relay. “I feel I’ve just gotten faster as time has gone on. My freshman year, my 100 time was in the low 12s, but now I’m at 11. My 200 and 400 times have also improved tremendously, which is great to see.”
Guilford’s Head Coach Chris Skaggs is pleased to see how well Jordan is performing this spring. Something else that impresses the coach is how Jordan sets a fine example for the Indians’ younger runners with his determined drive.
“Jordan is coming into his own as a sprinter. His junior season is becoming a defining year for his career. He’s established himself as a good sprinter and I am excited to see where that speed will take him in the next few weeks through conference and state competitions,” says Skaggs. “He has been a workhorse for our squad throughout dual-meets, often running three [to] four events and scoring points in all of them. It is tough as an athlete to run multiple races during dual-meets when rest time is very short, but he somehow recovers and goes out again and again, producing impressive performances. He has been an inspiration to our younger sprinters. I’m trying to build a solid sprinting squad and he has been a model example of what our freshman and sophomores strive to become.”
Dual-meets feature a packed itinerary and some athletes compete in as many as four events. To get through them with a full tank of gas, Jordan says he paces himself just as much mentally as he does physically by staying in the moment and concentrating on one task at a time.
“I just try to stay focused and focus on the one event I’m in at the time,” says Jordan. “I just have to focus on one race at a time and try to get to the finish line. I just tell myself to keep going and not let up.”
Jordan runs multiple events, but he’s particularly drawn to the 400—a longer sprint that reveals a runner’s character with its grueling stretch run in the final quarter.
“The 400 is my favorite event because my coaches say it’s truly a man’s race. You get through those first 300 meters, but you really have to push through in the last 100,” he says. “It’s a good way to see where your best stuff is at.”
Jordan is aspiring for some quality postseason showings in the 400 this spring. In terms of his team, Jordan is hoping that Guilford can place well at the sectional, conference, and state levels.
“For myself, I hope to nail really good times for all my events. In the 400, I want to try to make the State Open,” says Jordan, who thanks his parents Kevin and Charles, Coach Skaggs, assistant coach George Cooksey, plus teammates Sam Sessions and Finn Davidson. “We have a lot of good guys on this team that are really good at what they do, so we are in a good position to do well in the postseason.”