Maddie Morrow 
Junior, North Canton Hoover
Personal Bests
- High Jump 5-11
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Athletic Honors |
AAU National Champion 2006 and 2007
Set AAU Junior Olympic Record for 12 year-old girls with a high jump of 5-4.25 in 2006
2011 Ohio Indoor High Jump Champion
2010 Ohio Indoor and Outdoor High Jump Runner-up
2009, 2010 Federal League Outdoor Champion
All Ohio 2009, 2010
2011 New Balance National Indoor Meet, Runner-up
Maddie Morrow is a Junior at North Canton Hoover. She is a very accomplished high school jumper and for the past two indoor and outdoor seasons, she has been not only one of Ohio’s premier jumpers, but one of the nations. She has a very competitive relationship with her closest rival, Taylor Burke of Medina, finishing very close 2nd’s to her at the 2010 Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the 2011 New Balance Indoor Championships and recently besting Taylor with her PB of 5-11.00 at the 2011 OATCCC Indoor Championships.
OHRunners: Maddie, what were your first experiences with Track & Field? At what age? Were you always directed toward High Jump?
Maddie: I didn't even know about about high jump until I was in fifth grade when I went to a high school practice to watch my sister jump. I started jumping then just for fun and have been jumping ever since then.
OHRunners: As a 12 year old, with little experience, what was it like to set an AAU Junior Olympic Record and win a National Championship?
Maddie: When I set the national record, it was probably the best moment of my life up utill then. I don't think I ever realized how big it was that I set that record until I got older, but it's something that I was very proud of as a middle schooler and even now.
OHRunners: Who was coaching you at that time?
Maddie: My dad was the one who coached me?
OHRunners: Was your father a high jumper?
Maddie: Yes, he high jumped in high school and in college at Mount Union. His best was 6'8. My mom also ran track. She was a state sprinter.
OHRunners: Do you participate in any other sports at Hoover?
Maddie: In Middle School, I played volleyball and basketball. I started running cross country last year but was out all season. Right now, I don’t participate in any other sports.
OHRunners: Last month you were highlighted as a Milesplit’s National Spotlight Athlete of the Week. What are your expectations for this outdoor season?
Maddie: Hopefully this season I will be able to improve from last year by 2 inches and that will put me over the 6’ mark. I’m also hoping to win State and National titles.
OHRunners: Taylor Burke of Medina won last year’s D1 Outdoor State Championship with a jump of 5-10.00 and followed that win with a first at the New Balance Indoor Championships. You came back however, and defeated her at the recent OATCCC Ohio State Indoor Championships with a 5-11.00 jump. As competitors, you are Ohio's premier jumpers and two of the Nations best high school jumpers. How would you categorize your relationship with Taylor?
Maddie: Taylor and I have a very competitive relationship. We're very friendly to each other and encouraging, but at the same time we're both extremely competitive and want to do our best to win. We both really push each other to do better and reach new heights.
OHRunners: I understand that you work a couple of nights a week with Mike Caza, a former Canadian Olympic jumper. What type of specific workouts are you doing with Mike? How long have you been working with him? What benefits have you seen in your performance? Are you working specifically on vertical leaping strength or is he helping with actual jumping technique as well?
Maddie: I worked with Mike during the off season and through the indoor season once or twice a week. When I work specifically with him, it’s mostly on technique. My workouts with Mike have been a lot on technique and have also consisted of a lot of weight lifting and core strengthening. This year was my second year working with him and I've noticed a huge difference in my performance. I’ve improved about 5 inches since I started working with him.
OHRunners: Describe your typical workout week when you have a competition on a Saturday? What do you do Monday - Friday.
Maddie: Depending on how big a weekend meet is, Monday-Friday I mostly do a combination of short sprints, jumping, and a little bit of lifting.
OHRunners: What is your warm up for a meet? One, when you know that you will not be challenged by the competition and two, when you know that Taylor or another good jumper will be at the meet?
Maddie: My warm up consists of a lot of plyometrics and is the same whether it's a competitive meet or not. I always want to stay loose and be ready during any meet. The only difference is that at a competitive meet, I usually start my warm up earlier, doing it before the meet starts and before I'm about to jump.
OHRunners: What type of Plyometric drills or exercises do you perform in your warm up?
Maddie: In my warm up I do a series of stretches, high knees, butt kicks, and cherry pickers.
NOTE: Plyometrics (also known as "plyos") is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. The exercises for high jump would be used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions to aid in providing speed and explosiveness. The exercises have also been shown to aid in injury prevention, power development and sprint performance.
OHRunners: Do you visualize each jump during a competition?
Maddie: Visualizing each jump is very important and very helpful when I'm jumping, so I’m continually doing it before I jump.
OHRunners: Do you visualize each segment of a jump, seeing yourself in each phase or just clearing the height?
Maddie: When I visualize, I see myself doing whatever I did wrong on my last jump correct. So if I'm not getting high enough, I'll visualize myself really getting up. If I need to work more on my approach, I'll visualize myself running up to the bar.
OHRunners: What do you do in between jumps? One, when you have cleared a height and two, when you have just missed at a height?
Maddie: In between jumps if I miss a height, I go talk to my coach or my dad to get advice on what to do. If I've made it and I'm really nervous and waiting for another jumper to jump the height, I usually pace a lot and think about what I need to do. I visualize myself going over the bar as I am preparing to jump again?
OHRunners: How much of jumping is mental?
Maddie: High jump is 90% mental. You have to go into a meet confident. You have to know how to correct anything that might be wrong, and you need to tell yourself you can do it. If you don't, you'll never get off the ground.
OHRunners: During a competition, how do you and your High School coach, Jason Kirkland, interact in terms of at what height you will begin jumping at and in making adjustments as the height increases? i.e. corrections on your approach, on the take- off , in the air, bar clearance and in twist and rotation?
Maddie: I usually decide my starting height before the meet and go up by 2 inches every time. After every jump, I go over to my coach and talk about what looked good, what looked bad, and we both talk about ways to change whatever is wrong.
OHRunners: What type of approach do you use? Typical curve or "J" approach? How many steps do you have in your approach?
Maddie: I use the typical "J" approach with eight steps.
OHRunners: Describe yourself as an athlete? What is your motivation and what makes Maddie tick?
Maddie: I'm a very focused athlete. I know what I want and I know how to do it. All year and leading up to the season, I'm constantly focused on how to reach my goals and do my best.
OHRunners: As a Junior, are you thinking of your Senior year and a collegiate career, or is your focus on what you can accomplish now?
Maddie: I'm always focusing on what I can accomplish now and at each meet, but a more often now, I find myself thinking about the future and a collegiate career. I've been working hard academically trying to maintain my 4.1 GPA for college.
OHRunners: Maddie, thank you so much for your time. This should be an exciting year in the D1 high jump. We are looking forward to hopefully seeing 6’ jumps and to a very exciting competition at both our State meet and at Nationals.