Sports

Alarcon Gets Boost From Hard Work

New Trier triple jumper looks for medal at State Meet.

After three years on the New Trier High School varsity track team, triple jumper Taylor Alarcon knew he had to do something different if he wanted to finish his senior season at the State Meet Friday and Saturday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

He went to work after his junior season and by the time he was ready to compete in the Niles West Sectional May 16, he was hoping his effort would pay off.

It did.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Alarcon won the Sectional triple jump by nearly three feet at 46-00.5 while recording the seventh best distance of any qualifier heading to the State Meet.

“He was lifting like crazy,” assistant Trevian Coach Matt Ravenscroft said. “He became a gym rat in the offseason. He made himself stronger and healthier.” Injuries were one of the things that got in the way of Alarcon’s success but not this season.

Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While Ravenscroft saw the weightlifting as a way to make his athlete stronger, Alarcon was thinking about something else. “I worked out hard in the offseason,” he said. “I was working on injury prevention,” he said of the weight training.

Ravenscroft and Alarcon also took an intellectual approach to improving the Brown University bound jumper’s skills. “He looked at a lot of film,” Ravenscroft said. “He became a student of the event.”

That intellectual approach will be important when Alarcon reaches the Ivy League. He will take the intellectual approach and physical work ethic to Providence with him. “I’m going to keep doing it the next four years,” he said.

For more news on NTHS sports, 'like' Patch on Facebook and sign up for our free daily newsletter here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here