NSAF introduces showcase long jump and javelin competition at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Spencer Young wins the inaugural javelin showcase at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Cassie Cole and Joe Zochert

All eyes were on the field this weekend at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. On the final two days of the Nike Outdoor Nationals, athletes in the boy’s long jump and girl’s javelin had the opportunity to compete in a special exhibition event. These two field events were rebranded as “showcases.”

The format of these showcases was intended to create a new atmosphere for the event. After three traditional rounds of attempts, the final eight in the event were seeded 1 through 8 according to their best marks. These eight then competed in a head-to-head bracket to advance to the next round. Those who lost were moved to the consolation bracket, where they could continue competing against the remaining athletes.

Cathedral Phantoms Elite’s Jai Banks-Chambers thought that this new format brought a refreshing sense of competition to the event.

“It was definitely exciting. It built on the competition and it allowed for us to gradually get better,” said Banks-Chambers, who finished third in the long jump bracket. “People started popping up for the jumps as the competition became more steep so it was an overall fun experience.”

“It helps you get a better respect for your competitor and it helps to build the competition,” said Banks-Chambers.

The winner of the long jump showcase, Tristan Goodly, thought that having the head-to-head matchups made them focus on the individual jumps more than the event itself.

“It just changed my mindset. And you don't worry about the rounds in front of them. You just worry about the round that you're in right now,” said Goodly. “You have to get further than the guy that you're competing against.”

Trinity Spooner, fifth-place finisher in the girl’s javelin bracket, agreed that there was a heavy focus on individual rounds.

“You gotta be consistent and it pays,” Spooner said. Despite finishing fifth in the showcase on Sunday, Spooner won the girl’s javelin championship the day before with a personal best of 49.37m (161-11). The South Beauregard junior acknowledged that consistency is key for athletes to continue to the next round of the winner’s bracket.

“[The showcase] puts it in a different kind of competition because in a regular meet, that one throw matters. Just one throw, that’s all it takes,” said Spooner.

In contrast, a showcase competition requires multiple, consistent throws. Spooner did throw the furthest distance in the showcase competition on Sunday, but she had already moved to the consolation bracket by then. “It’s kind of difficult to be consistent like that,” Spooner added.

Fountain Hills’ Quinton Patterson, who placed fifth in the long jump showcase, saw how brackets can affect the outcome of an event but still bring out the best in the competitors.

“It was pretty cool. But at the same time, you could pop off the best jump and be last place because of the bracket style,” said Patterson. “I think it gave us clutch opportunities and puts more pressure on us to make it more competitive.”

The bracket format of the long jump and javelin weren’t the only factors contributing to the events’ energy. Once the first three rounds of the competition were completed, all events on the track were paused to turn the crowd’s attention to the field. The entirety of Hayward Field had their eyes on the long jump and javelin.

Having the crowd’s undivided attention is unusual for field events, which usually occur concurrently with events on the track or just with other events happening on the field. For javelin showcase winner Spencer Young of Marlborough High, the support of the crowd made a big impact on the event and its athletes.

“Having that moment when the crowd is supporting you and you feel like, ‘Wow, I’m not just here to throw, I should be having fun too,’” said Young. “I think it’s a great way to educate people and build crowd morale and make the athletes happier too. We do so much to get here.”

Spooner felt the same way: the showcase format and putting eyes on the javelin competition was beneficial to the athletes and their morale.

“It makes me feel special, especially as a javelin-only person. Normally we’re kind of pushed on the back burner,” said Spooner. “It brings a different level of respect to us as athletes. We feel special, like everybody else.”

The attention was rejuvenating, but also a bit nerve-wracking at times.

“It’s you and [the crowd is] following you as you’re throwing, after, and watching you. And you’ve gotta be very conscious of what you’re doing and what you’re thinking,” Spooner said.

“You feel like an ant,” she added.

After the inaugural showcase competitions in the long jump and javelin this weekend, the verdict is clear: it’s a fun event, albeit a bit different from what athletes are used to doing.

“I like it, but the traditional way is just tradition. It's just how it is,” said Goodly. He believes that the showcase should be reserved for special events.

For Spooner, introducing the javelin showcase to more competitions would be “pretty incredible.”

“I feel like it’s more crowd-engaged—everybody’s into it, it’s a bigger focus, it’s different. And difference always stands out.”