BY BAILEE COFER
Taryn Rolle finally broke Drake’s school record in the women’s triple jump at the Jim Duncan Invitational with her victory mark of 12.71m. Kayla Bell formerly held the record at a mark of 12.39m.
“It felt like a good jump, but it didn’t feel like anything special,” Rolle said of her record-breaking performance. “When the official called out the actual mark, I almost didn’t believe it.”
Rolle had good reason for skepticism regarding the mark called. In the past, she’s come extremely close to the record, only to barely miss it or have it taken away. In one instance, last indoor season, she actually broke the indoor school record, but was denied the official mark due to technical errors.
In a video of the record-breaking attempt, Rolle executes her jump and then casually walks out of the pit. While her lack of emotion makes sense given the past situations, it’s humorous how calm she is upon breaking a school record.
“I went into that jump thinking, well, here goes something,” Rolle said. “I didn’t know how big of a jump it was until they announced it. After hearing confirmation that my jump was actually legal, it was so surreal. Even now, I still don’t fully feel like it’s real.”
Rolle said that within competition, when she has a big jump she is usually skeptical over whether or not she can do it again. This weekend, she had two legal jumps, both of which were a personal record and a school record. Consistent high performances like that can combat feelings of skepticism and replace them with confidence.
“[That] jump affirmed the fact that I can pull off big jumps, and I can do it again and again,” Rolle said. “I feel at peace that all the work I’ve put in is paying off. It took four years, and I’m happy that it finally happened.”
Along with Rolle, the rest of the Drake University men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Jim Duncan Invitational. The Bulldogs had 27 top-three performances, along with many other strong efforts.
