BOZEMAN — Bozeman high jumper Lucy Corbett is soaring to new heights.
The springy senior leads Montana with a jump of 5 feet, 7 inches, but is working tirelessly to put more distance between herself and the competition. Corbett competed in indoor track with the Bozeman Track Club during the winter sports season, competing in small meets around Bozeman and the Simplot Games in Pocatello, ID., where she cleared 5-07 for the first time.
Corbett also traveled down to the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles earlier this month where she set a personal best outdoors of 5-06, her first time getting past 5-05.
“It is (a mental hurdle) with all (personal records),” Corbett said following her win at the Swede Dahlberg Invitational. “I just need to get out of my head and go for it.”
Competitive meets such as last weekend’s combined Swede Dahlberg Invitational bring out the best in Corbett. While she admits it’s more stressful competing against the state’s best, she’s solely focused on herself and her PR, not letting any outside noise distract her.
Corbett stands just 5-feet-8, so mental preparation for approaching these lofty heights in the high jump is key.
“You just can’t look at (the bar),” she laughed. “You just have to pretend it’s at a lower height and go for it. This was the first year I got 5-07, getting past 5-05 was just mental.”
She’s not just a standout high jumper – Corbett’s 300-meter hurdles time of 47.34 ranks No. 5 in the state, while her 100-meter hurdles time stands eighth in Montana, and her 200-meter dash time stands tenth in Class AA.
However, a busy day on the track can attribute to some of Corbett’s shortcomings in the high jump.
“(I need to) probably start coming in at a later height so my legs aren’t so tired. The hurdles probably had something to do with it,” Corbett said.
Luckily for the Bozeman senior the Class AA girls high jump and 100-meter hurdles will be on separate days from the 300-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash at the state meet at the end of May. Expect Corbett to take full advantage of the extra bounce in her step with fresh legs and a mental edge on the competition.
*UPDATE: Corbett jumped 5-10 on April 28 at the Skor DeKam Invitational to break the meet record and the Vigilante Stadium record.*
