Nicole Gilbert: From humble beginnings to the national championships

Nicole Gilbert had the Massachusetts All-State Championship won; for about 60 seconds.  The Hanover long jump star saved her best jump for last as she powered down the runway and launched an 18’10.25” attempt to take the lead with only one jumper remaining.  But that one last jumper was Nadia Eke of Holy Name, one of the best in the country.  “When I took the lead on my final jump, I was beyond excited…..until Nadia took the lead right back by only an inch.  I thought I was about to be the state champ for about ten seconds.” 

But Gilbert is no stranger to fierce competition. In fact, she experiences some of the best competition in the state each day at practice.  Hanover has created a jumping powerhouse on the South Shore and had two athletes in the state finals of the long jump.  Teammate Lizzy Dowling finished 4th at 17’11.5” and Gilbert credits her coach and teammate for aiding in her success.  “Coach Glennon focuses on the importance of speed on the runway for long jump.  Lizzie and I do a lot of speed work, and practice our run-ups so we can really attack the board at competitions.  There is definitely no rivalry between Lizzy and I.  We both want to see each other succeed”.

 The pair has certainly been successful this season and they are taking advantage of the rare opportunity they have to train together.  Last month, Gilbert qualified for the New Balance Outdoor National Championships and is scheduled to compete in North Carolina on Saturday.  Like many athletes, the road to the top has been a long one; filled with adulation, disappointment, and for Gilbert, a great deal of pain.

 “At the beginning of my junior year, I was hit in the knee with a field hockey stick.  The pain persisted throughout the entire season so I went to a doctor and started doing physical therapy for a misdiagnosis.  By summertime, my knee was still hurting so I went to a different doctor who correctly diagnosed me with a bone spur behind my kneecap and a torn patella tendon.  I had surgery done in August.  I couldn’t play field hockey my senior year and I was doing physical therapy every day until December.  I still feel pain but I am very used to it now so I don’t even think about it.

That timeline accentuates the magnitude of her accomplishments.  In her junior year, following her injury, Gilbert finished a remarkable 4th place in the long jump (18’3”) at the 2010 All-State Championships with what would later be discovered as a torn patella tendon.  To put that accomplishment in perspective, most people can’t walk up a set of stairs with that injury, let alone jump over the length of an SUV. 

Then, just 9 months post-surgery, Gilbert would return to the All-State Championships in 2011 to finish 2nd.  Her final jump that day was followed by grimace of pain and a huge smile directed at her family standing at the end of the pit.  The moment brought her father Steve back to the humble beginnings of Nicole’s jumping career. 

“When my three daughters were 3,7, and 8 years old (Michelle, Nicole, and Kelsey recpectively), I would take them to Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts.  We would start with sunblock then straight to the water.  I was kind of like the Pied Piper as all the other kids would slowly gather around me to get a game of kickball going.  Some days there wouldn’t be enough kids to play a game so I would make them get in line and I would make 2 lines in the sand with my heel about 2 feet apart.  I would have the kids run and jump over the lines, like the old game of jump the river, and I would move the lines further apart after each jump.  If you didn’t make it over, you were out of the game.  Nicole and her older sister were always the last two jumpers, and eventually Nicole would beat her older sister.  I knew some day she would do something with her early talent, I just didn’t know how far she would go.   I truly believe after seeing her jump since surgery that she will continue to recover fully and become a force to be watched.

That time has arrived, and Gilbert has become a national force in the long jump.  Her state leading 19’0” jump from the Massachusetts Division 4 Championships has her seeded 8th entering the Outdoor National Championships and her goal is to make the podium.  The field is deep, but challenges are nothing new for Gilbert and the long road to the elite level of high school track and field has prepared her for this day.  

You can follow Nicole Gilbert and all of the Massachusetts athletes at New Balance National Championships with our continuing coverage of the event.  Check the homepage and the links below for updated information.

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