Eastern jumps coach JaRod Tobler demonstrates his long jump for attendees of the jumps camp at O'Brien Stadium on Friday, June 20. (Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern News)
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Assistant track coach JaRod Tobler had a dream. As a sophomore track standout at Illinois State University, that dream was to be an Olympic athlete.
Many athletes have this ambition that never comes to life. For Tobler, however, his goal is almost a reality.
Tobler will compete as a long jumper in the Olympic Trials Friday at Eugene, Ore., in the hopes of making the Olympic Track team.
"It's always been my dream to be on that podium and watch the flag go up," Tobler said.
Training for the Games
Tobler, 25, began training in earnest for the Olympics in mid-February.
The jumps/vault coach commenced an independent training program to rebuild stamina, and fine-tune his technique.
One of the major areas that Tobler targeted for improvement is form. He said he had a bad habit of running on a slight angle.
He concentrated to keep his knees up to apply more force on the track, making movement more efficient.
"The force you are asserting is going to the right locations that are specific and interrelated," he said.
Part of the reason that Tobler has a strong desire for self-improvement comes from his high school basketball career. He was a guard for West Aurora's 2000 state championship team.
He said basketball taught him the value of repetition in order to achieve a high level of athletic ability.
Depending on Tobler's schedule, he would wake up at 5 a.m. or stay until 10 p.m. at O'Brien Stadium to train. The coach would stretch about 10 to 15 minutes and do drills for another 15 minutes. He then moves on to approaches and jumps.
Tobler said that the training and conditioning he does is self-taught and self-motivational. He also attributes his strong drive for qualifying for the Olympics to God.
"God motivates me," Tobler said. "For the most part, He has given me the opportunity to train and coach at EIU."
Making the cut
Tobler embarked on his Olympic quest at the Iowa State meet. He competed against collegiate athletes in an exhibition, and did well sprinting and jumping.
The coach kept training and competing in collegiate meets. When the Vanderbilt Invitational rolled around, he was ready for the next step.
Tobler had a jump of 26 feet and 9 inches, which qualified for the Olympic Trials.
He said there are 24 athletes competing in the long jump event of the Olympic Trails. In order to advance to Sunday's finals, he needs to be one of the top nine jumpers, Tobler said.
He added that the top three jumpers who have three jumps out of six over 27'9" will qualify for the Olympic Team.
According to USA Track & Field's website, if there aren't enough "A Standard" athletes in an event, a "B Standard" or reserve athlete will be able to compete on the team. Tobler said a maximum of four jumpers would probably be selected.
A coach first
Head men's track coach Tom Akers said that he was interested in hiring Tobler to his staff last season. Head women's track coach Mary Wallace recommended the youthful and charismatic Tobler, who finished a year as a graduate assistant at East Tennessee State.
Akers also liked Tobler's collegiate accomplishments. Tobler was All-Missouri Valley Conference eight times, and 2004 MVC Most Valuable Male Track Athlete.
"It gives our athletes more confidence that he is showing them the right thing," Akers said.
Akers said Tobler's first year at Eastern was impressive because of his smooth conversion to coaching.
"Some outstanding athletes struggle with coaching," Akers said. "He's made the transition."
Tobler attributes selfishness and immaturity to why star athletes are unable to coach well.
"Sometimes it was difficult going to track meets and not competing," he said. "I got that out of my system."
Tobler said he is working on a Level 2 coaching certification in which he will specialize in sprinting or jumps/vaulting. His ultimate goal is to be a head track coach someday.
"We respect him because he cares about all the athletes and will do anything for us," Uhe said.
Tobler had a rule that his jumpers and vaulters can't swear. If the group said 10 swears in a week, they would face an early morning Friday practice as a consequence.
"That first week, we had the limit by Tuesday," Uhe said. "After that, we didn't have any more early 6 a.m. practices."
The jumper said that she is grateful that her coach is teaching them good vocabulary and self-respect. Later in the year, she was shocked with another team's language.
"The team next to us used the f-word every other word," Uhe said. "It sounded awful and uneducated."
Beijing and beyond
If Tobler makes the Olympic cut, he is prepared to travel to China and he already obtained a passport earlier this year.
The Olympic hopeful said it would be the first time ever traveling internationally.
The media circus at Beijing would not daunt Tobler. He plans to answer all their questions, as he did in the past as a student-athlete and a coach.
The track athletes said they would follow their coach to Beijing, but Tobler isn't promising them tickets.
"I don't think I'll be able to give tickets," the coach said. It's something they would have to pay for."
Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7944 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.
