Jenna Parent
Forest Lake High School
What are all your personal records?
100: 13.15
200: 26.83
400: 1:00.69
Pole Vault: 11' 6"
Triple Jump: 37' 5"
Long Jump: 16' 10.5"
How did you get started as a track or cross country athlete?
I used to swim and my swimming coach was also the assistant cross country coach during the fall of the school year. I was going into 7th grade and I asked her if I should swim or go out for cross and she said, "Honey, I've seen ya swim, but I wanna see you RUN!" The following spring, I was unsure about whether or not give up fastpitch softball and join the track team instead, and with a little help of discussing about the topic with the head cross country/ track and field coach, I decided to go out for track and give up an offer I had to go play on a club fastpitch team.
What was your most memorable competition?
Probably either when I broke 6 in the mile in seventh grade, or when I broke the school record for FL last year for pole vault. My best friend and neighbor, Joe Thill was there watching me (which it was so important because he never had before) and he was the first person I hugged after I made the bar.
Who were your biggest competitors in your track/XC career?
In track, it would probably be Julia Fixsen, Allison Weiker, Charlene Morke, and my own teammate, Sofia Dodge. In XC, I really didn't have any big competitors because I was never that good.
What was your greatest accomplishment as a track/XC athlete?
Probably being successful at events I never thought in a million years I would be good at (PV, Triple Jump, and Sprints).
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your track/XC high school?
I would have joined vault in 7th grade instead of a year later when my coaches decided to have me do it. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!
How have your coaches been an influence to you as an athlete and a person?
My vault coach has really taught me how to have true good sportsmanship etiquette after a competition by having my teammates and I shake the officials' hands afterwards, even if we do bad and aren't in a good place.
My sprint coach has taught me that you never do well when you compete under a boat load of stress and pressure. If you stress out, then you don't have fun, and if the sport isn't fun, then what's the point of doing it, right?
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Mostly, I would have to say bad mentality. I'm a perfectionist and I like things done in certain ways otherwise nothing is right. Even though pole vault is really physical, it is also very mental and if you have a mindset where you say you can't get to vertical and will just end up flat on your back on the runway, you will.
What will you miss the most about high school track/XC?
I will miss being around a lot of my teammates and coaches. They made my year of "lasts" one to remember.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Some days, you really don't feel like putting in any effort or any work, but just because you feel that way, doesn't mean you should actually do it. Every amount of work you put into your event, you get right back out of it in a PR meet or something like that. Remember that the pain and sacrifices you go through always reward you with results and great opportunities in the long run.
What are your post-graduation plans?
I am pole vaulting on scholarship for the University of North Dakota and plan on majoring in Education.
Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
My coaches, Mike Soule and Brittni Rodewald, and friends and family who have supported me in my career as a Forest Lake Ranger these past 6 years.
