Senior high jumper gunning for fourth straight district title
SANDPOINT — Brooke DeMers has leaped herself before, figuratively of course, as her 5-foot-4 height is coincidentally her personal best in the high jump. But she’s hoping to go higher, if only by an inch, as her senior season at Sandpoint high school winds down.
DeMers will be competing today and Saturday at the Regional track meet in Lewiston, hoping to become just the second girl ever to win four district high jump titles. Coeur d’Alene’s Corissa Yasen, who went on to win an NCAA heptathlon title at Purdue, was the first.
DeMers jumped 5-4 as a freshman, and has been striving for the SHS school record of 5-5 ever since. Also a standout volleyball player in high school, she hopes to walk on the track team at Boise State, where her older brother Eric is one of the premier Pac 10 decathletes, and compete in the heptathlon.
But first things first. She’s got two meets left to nail that one magical leap, to possibly win her fourth district title, and improve upon her third place finish at the state meet last year. She says she loves both the pressure and thrill of high jumping.
“It’s a big rush, I love it,” says DeMers, who also does the long jump, hurdles and relays. “I’m only 5-4, so it’s crazy when it gets up that high.”
It was a 5-4 jump that won state last year, and while DeMers has hit that mark in practice, her best meet result in her senior season has been 5-2. She’s confident that she can get over the hump and clear that height again, admitting much of it is psychological.
“You can have the speed and power, but it’s the mental factor you have to overcome,” says DeMers, sounding like a seasoned vet in her signature event.
It’s no surprise she’s excelled at track, or even picked Boise State for that matter, as her dad and coach Dave DeMers played quarterback at the school back in the day, while Eric is in his junior season there. She calls the daughter/coach/dad dynamic “really nice.”
“It’s not like a coaching relationship, it’s more personal,” she explains. “It’s way easier to hear it from him than a coach.”
Dave DeMers, who was also an excellent high jumper in high school, admits that while he’s taught his daughter much in the way of technique, he’s also learned a lot and gained valuable perspective.
“Her freshman year I was very hard on her,” recalls DeMers, noting his daughter was instantly the best in the district. “I realized it was her potential and not mine. I had to take it back and say ‘I’ve got to slow down.’ I knew if I kept going, she wouldn’t have fun.”
While her senior year has been cut short by the weather, Brooke has remained upbeat and positive, and yes, she’s also having plenty of fun.