Culver City long jumper Kevin Beacham took two steps forward and one step back last Friday night at the CIF Masters Track and Field meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. His steps forward included a state meet qualifying jump of 22 feet 3 ¾ inches in the long jump. His step back was he was over one foot behind his school record and CIF final jump of 24 feet ¾ inches last week. The good news is Beacham will represent Culver City High School at the State Meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis California this Friday and Saturday.
To reach the state meet Beacham had to compete against 585 schools in the CIF Southern Section the past three weeks. In the state meet he will compete against all of the high schools in California.
“I feel like I could have jumped better today,” said a disappointed Beacham last Friday, whose jump was good enough for fifth place in the Masters Meet. “I wanted to place in the top three but that’s alright.”
Beacham, who prefers to jump in cold weather, said the heat at 4:30 in the afternoon did not agree with him.
“When my body gets to hot it slows my speed down on the runway and it effects how high I can leap,” Beacham said.
If the heat is a factor at Clovis High School on Friday in the state semi-finals the support from his coaches should give him the inspirational lift he needs to make it to the finals on Saturday. All four of his track and field coaches were at Cerritos College last Friday: his long jump coach Derrick Huezo, the head coach Jahmal Wright, the girls’ coach Rayfield Beaton and longtime high jump coach Tom Nakayama were all at Cerritos College last Friday.
“My coaches give a lot of support and I know they want me to win for Culver City,” Beacham said.
Huezo has been coaching the long jump for the past six years at Culver City and he knows he has something special in Beacham.
“I am really proud of Kevin,” Huezo said last Friday. “Kevin is a prime example of hard work and dedication. He is a good kid and he believes in what the coaches are telling him. That’s what separates him from a lot of other athletes. He competes at a high level and uses the information we give him.”
Beacham, a three-sport star athlete must have been listening and producing because he accepted a scholarship to Indiana State to play football last week.
“I am really excited to get the scholarship,” Beacham said. “I just want to put that football jersey on and play, but if they ask me to long jump I will be glad to do that too.”
Before he plays football next fall for Indiana State Beacham hopes to be the state long jump champion. Longtime high jump coach Nakayama thinks Beacham is headed in the right direction.
“Kevin is a fantastic kid,” said Nakayama. “He broke a school record that was set 30 years ago by Anthony Jones. Whatever we ask Kevin to do, he always does it. He came through in all three sports, football, basketball and track and field.”
