Jemison overcomes all obstacles
Edison leaper refuses to be slowed by medical troubles
By JAMES JOHNSON
Staff writer
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JAY CAPERS staff photographer |
Edison Tech senior Dennis Jemison won the triple jump competition at the state indoor championships in February, leaping 46 feet, 6 inches to win by more than a foot. He was runner-up as a junior. |
(April 18, 2004) — Dennis Jemison excels in the high and triple jumps, but maybe the Edison senior would be a winner in endurance events, too.
Jemison practiced daily with some of the best jumpers in Section V as a freshman and sophomore. However, that also meant he was overshadowed by those same teammates at meets.
During his junior year, Jemison was set to spring into the indoor season. Instead, he was sidelined for seven weeks with high blood pressure, with no guarantee that he would be cleared by doctors to compete again. Jemison eventually got back on track, became a state champion and developed into a Division I college recruit. Like the muscles in Jemison’s legs, his attitude has helped him overcome hurdles in his path.
”The maturity level is through the roof,” said Edison athletic director David Boundy. “I wish I could clone him.”
Edison might not need to do that, in order to win another Section V title. A fourth-place finish during last season’s Class AA championships stopped a push for three outdoor team sectional titles in as many years for the Inventors.
Edison however, claimed a fourth indoor sectional trophy in four seasons in February with Jemison leading the charge.
Jemison was the most outstanding field athlete among boys at the Class A championships, after first-place finishes in the triple jump (45 feet-4 1/2 inches) and high jump (6-4), plus a third in the long jump (19-9 1/4).
Two weeks later, Jemison qualified for the state meet in the triple and high jumps.
While Jemison finished sixth in the high jump, the triple jump competition in Syracuse was no contest after he leaped 46-6. He won by more than a foot, one season after he was the state runner-up as a junior.
”I told my coaches that I can’t settle for anything less than a win,” Jemison said. “I told everyone that I was going to states to win. No one goes to a big meet to lose.
”Some people might think that I’m cocky, but the people who know me, know that I’ve worked for years to get to this point.”
Jemison talks about clearing a high jump bar at 7 feet, or come as close he can to doing so before the end of this spring.
He smiles at the thought of bounding past Edison’s triple jump record (47-10), held by Reggie Rucker.
”His brick wall is at 6-8 in the high jump,” said junior teammate Terrell Gissendanner. “If he can break that wall, he can go up to 6-10, 6-11. We can see (his mistake) on videotape.
”As far as the triple jump goes, he’s going to jump out of the pit.”
When Jemison was a freshman and sophomore at Edison, Rucker was among a group of older, talented teammates who loved to challenge each other and anyone else who came along.
”When all of those guys came back to visit they told Dennis that he was next,” said Walter Larkin, the Edison boys outdoor team coach. “The Reggie Ruckers, the Julius Geralds, all of those guys who came before Dennis won at least one state title.
”For him, it was ‘I finally got one. Now, I’m with them.’ “
There is a chance that Jemison could end up with the track and field teams at either Michigan State, Manhattan College or the University of Houston.
Jemison has taken official recruiting visits to all three schools. Houston put on the biggest show, bringing out Olympic great Carl Lewis to point out the upside of becoming a Cougar.
”Manhattan sees me as a triple jumper,” Jemison said. “At Houston, I would do all the jumps and the 400 (-meter run). Michigan State can see me as a decathlete.
”The 400 is fine with me, I just have to train for it. The decathlon has events I’ve never tried, but they say if you’re an athlete, you probably can do all right in anything.
”Now it’s, ‘Where am I going to go?’ It’s going to come down to what I want to study.”
Jemison, who ranks in the top 30 of his class at Edison, is considering pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.
While Jemison’s immediate future seems pretty clear, that wasn’t the case for a brief period of time this school year.
Another unexpected hurdle popped up after Jemison sent his list of coursework at Edison to Michigan State to head off any possible eligibility issues. To Jemison’s surprise, the college found a course that was not recognized by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Jemison will take two courses at Monroe Community College this summer to fill in the gap.
”I could’ve finished this school year and then ended up not getting a scholarship,” Jemison said as he shook his head. “No Division I or II team would’ve been able to give me one. It wasn’t even our mistake, but the good thing is, I’ll have one less freshman-level class to take.”
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