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05/17/2018 12:00 AMJordan Ingram has his eye on entering the record books as a member of the East Haven boys’ outdoor track team this spring. A senior sprinter, Jordan feels confident that he and teammate Jay Donaldson are both in line to officially set school records in the either the 100-meter dash or the 200-meter dash at the upcoming postseason meets. Both athletes recorded historic times for the Yellowjackets during the recent regular season.
“We’ve both already broken them, but they don’t count until the SCC and state meets, where they’ll have electric timing. They don’t count the hand times,” Jordan says. “It’s very motivating. In practice, it’s a lot of fun and games, but when it comes to the meets, there are no friends, because it’s all one-on-one.”
Jordan signed up to compete for East Haven’s outdoor track squad as a sophomore. Since then, he’s had his sights set on achieving big things for the Easties, especially at the championship competitions. Jordan says that he’s received some sound advice from a family member in order to get faster on the track.
“The school records are what motivate me. I want to take them down,” says Jordan. “I had to do all of my work and practice every day. Even when we’re not at practice, I’d be going to the gym by myself to get better. I’d go to the gym with my cousin, too—who played soccer—so he showed me workouts to get my endurance and speed up. That was a big part of what helped me get better.”
Jordan decided to join the Yellowjackets’ indoor track team this winter. During that season, he ran the 55-meter dash, the 300-meter dash, and the 4x200 relay. With the outdoor squad, Jordan runs the 100, the 200, and in the 4x100 relay.
“When I first started out, I was running around [12.5 seconds in the 100]. That same year, I kept bringing my times down more and more and made states in the [SCC Novice Meet], when I ran an 11.6,” Jordan says. “I was happy. I even ran a 24 flat in the 200 when I started the year running around 26.”
Currently, Jordan’s best marks for his outdoor events are 10.7 seconds in the 100, a 22.5 in the 200, and a 43.9 in the 4x100 relay. East Haven boys’ outdoor track Head Coach Jim Vicario has been quite impressed with Jordan’s ability to continuously get better throughout his three seasons with the team.
“I think at almost 6-foot-2 with a very long, powerful stride, he can be a very good sprinter. Sprinting becomes finite at this level. He’s fast, but when you talk about splitting hairs, the start is a very, very critical thing,” says Vicario. “Because of how fast he is, I think he’d be a classic 400 guy at the next level, but in high school, he’s terrific in the 100 and 200. He can really move.”
Jordan says that he works extensively on his starts, because he knows that will help him get into the lead. Starting strong wasn’t a strength for Jordan at first, but now, he’s consistently quick off the line.
“When I first started out, my starts weren’t that good, so I knew I had to work on them. Guys would beat me out of the blocks, but my long legs would let me catch them,” says Jordan. “Those drills, you have to be aggressive. It’s all about reaction time. When I’m down on the blocks getting ready, I’m listening for the gun and ready to come out of those blocks like a rocket.”
Jordan is also serving as one of the Yellowjackets’ senior captains this spring. It’s a difficult task in track, because everyone is so spread out during the meets, but Jordan enjoys being someone whom his teammates can look up to.
“It’s definitely not easy. A lot of guys think they’re the best, so you have to find a way to get guys to listen to you,” says Jordan. “I enjoy being a leader. It’s nice to be a role model for the younger guys and set good examples.”