Schools gamble for revenue share
August 16, 2011
Nancy Cherie McCollum
August 18, 2011
Central Lafourche senior Abby Lazard walked onto the track and got herself ready to compete when she heard a voice from the crowd shout her name.
When she turned, what she saw is something she’ll remember the rest of her life.
Members of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Explorer program braved 100-degree heat to watch Lazard compete for the gold at the AAU Junior Olympics last week.
“That touched me,” Lazard said. “You have no idea how much that surprised me. I texted a few of them earlier in the day and they were like ‘Oh, I’m sorry, but we ended up not being able to make it.’ So when I got there, I saw them all there for me. … I got super excited.”
BP sponsored the trip for the Explorer program’s members and its chaperones.
The night before the trip, the Explorers were scattered across the parish, lending a helping hand to make the parish’s National Night Out Against Crime activities go off without a hitch.
“The young men and women involved in our Explorer Program volunteer a great deal of their time to serve the people of Lafourche Parish,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said. “This was more than a field trip for them, it was the opportunity to see some of the best young athletic talent this nation has to offer.”
The person the group was mainly going to see is one of their own, as Lazard has been a part of the program throughout high school.
“It’s fun,” she explains. “It’s a cool thing. … A way to stay involved.”
With her cheering section by her side, Lazard didn’t disappoint.
Jumping with some of the best prospects in America, the Central Lafourche standout finished 15th in the long jump with a 17-foot-11 1/4-inch leap.
Her best jump of the week came in the triple jump where she recorded a personal best 37-foot-4 3/4-inch leap to finish 10th.
“It was awesome,” Lazard said of her accomplishments. “It feels good to know you’re one of the best in the country at something.”
When Lazard wasn’t jumping, she and her friends were having the experience of a lifetime.
The Explorers were able to meet track and field figures Wallace Spearmon Jr., Lauryn Williams and Scott Danberg on the trip.
Spearmon participated in the world championships during his career. Danberg spent more than two decades as a world renown contender in the shot put and javelin. Williams is a silver medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
“That really hit me,” Lazard said. “Because to me, it’s like, that’s who I want to be someday. I want to be in their place one day. I want kids to want to meet me.”
So far, the Central Lafourche jumper is on the right track and has virtually monopolized gold medals at the high school level.
The Central Lafourche jumper wins gold in practically every local and regional meet in both the long and triple jump, most of the time by a wide margin.
She said going into every meet knowing that you’re more than likely going to win easily is a challenge. She added she keeps herself motivated by jumping against her biggest critic. Herself.
“I want to beat myself and my previous jumps and I want to break records,” Lazard said. “I’m not jumping against anyone else. I’m jumping against the number I set for myself, if that makes sense. … To me it does.”
With a full season to go in Mathews, Lazard said she hopes to add the 100-meter dash to her repertoire.
She also believes she hasn’t reached her peak in the long and triple jumps.
That’s a scary thought for opponents.
It’s not quite as bad for the Explorers, who just may have to plan another field trip or two in the future to see one of their own do her thing.
“I’ve been working harder than I ever work during the whole outdoor season this summer,” Lazard said. “Competition motivates me to do my best. … I’m trying to keep going and keep working hard because I know that if I do that, then I can do some pretty special things with my jumping.”
