Now that she's so close to it,
Medina (Ohio) senior Taylor Burke isn't about to let the attainment of one simple number get the best of her. Burke has mastered numbers of various sizes before.
There's the "15" that represents the consecutive shutout streak she attained over a two-year period in 2009 and last fall while playing goalkeeper for the Bees soccer team, with one of those shutouts coming during the 2009 Division I state championship game.
On the flip side is the "3" that is also known as the number of sports in which she has excelled at throughout her prep career. In addition to being named Ohio's Ms. Soccer last fall, she helped her school's girls basketball team capture its first Suburban League championship in more than a decade this winter.
Taylor Burke is aiming to make it over6 feet in the high jump.
Photo courtesy Medina High coaching staff
The number "6" is the one which currently has special meaning for Burke.
One of the nation's premier high jumpers the last two years, Burke believes overcoming the 6-foot barrier in the event that she excels in is more than just a best-case-scenario goal.
"I think the closest I've been probably was at (New Balance Indoor) Nationals (on March 11 in New York)," said Burke, who jumped 5-10 3/4 that day to win her second consecutive championship. "I got a good look at 6-0 and that's got my confidence up a little bit. (Jumping 6-0) has been in the back of my mind since my sophomore year. I want to get it out of the way before I get to college."
Burke followed her performance at indoor nationals by finishing second (5-10) at the OATCC state indoor meet behind area rival Maddie Morrow of North Canton Hoover (5-11) on March 19 in Akron.
Thus far during an outdoor season that has been hampered by poor weather, Burke hasn't been challenged. She went 5-8 at the Medina Relays on April 9 and followed by winning April 15 with a jump of 5-8 at the Mansfield Mehock Relays.
Burke, who was seventh as a freshman at the Division I state outdoor meet, believes she's on pace for another strong finish to the spring season after winning the last two state championships. She jumped 5-11 at state last June to break her own Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record of 5-9 from when she won the 2009 title. Her jump last year is 2 inches off the state-meet record.
"She's not just a great athlete, but she's a terrific kid," said Phil Brewer, who is Medina's high jump coach. "She knew her stuff by the time she got to high school, and obviously when you get to a certain level, you're fighting for centimeters. She's been just short of 6-0 for a couple years and just hasn't quite made it to that level."
She has worked for the last several years with Mike Caza, a former
member of the Canadian National track team whose best career jump is
7-5.
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