My nephew Martieze Brockington was just announced as Lansdowne Athlete of the Year! Congratulations young man!
(Photo by Brendan Cavanaugh)
written by By Craig Clary
Thomas Raybon knew Lansdowne High senior Martieze Brockington was a special athlete even before coaching the youngster. Last fall, the Sparrows Point High assistant football coach was watching game film when one player caught his attention. "I kept saying, 'Who is that No. 16 kid (Brockington)?,'" Raybon said. "He never gave up on any play and he ran his butt off all the time."
This spring, Raybon joined Brockington as the Vikings' track coach and liked what he saw.
And there's a lot to like about the 2010 Arbutus Times Male Athlete of the Year, who also played basketball for Lansdowne. "In seven years of coaching track, he's probably one of the best overall kids I've worked with," Raybon said. "He was just unbelievable." No obstacle was too great for Brockington to overcome on his way to finishing first in the Class 2A North Region high jump and taking third in the county and state in the same event. He cleared 6 feet, 2 inches at the regional and state meet and came within an ankle graze of clearing 6-4 and winning the state title. Clearing 6-2 in the regional for the first time is a career highlight.
That unprecedented leap came after the 6-foot-3, 181-pound star was overcoming a groin injury that hampered him in the county championship. The injury was sustained two weeks before the county meet, prompting his coaches to suggest he take a week off. "He said, 'No, I want to stick with it and not fall out of shape,'" Raybon recalled.
In addition, two weeks after the school purchased new high jump mats, vandals destroyed them in a shed fire. Unruffled, Brockington traded his spikes for tennis shoes and moved inside to use some worn indoor mats. He would start practice jumps at the 5-8 mark and work his way up to 6-4 -- the height Francis Scott Key's Irving Jeffries achieved to capture the Class 2A crown.
"If we had another year, there's no doubt in my mind he would have been a state champion in high jump," Raybon said. Brockington loved being able to soar over improbable heights. "When you are in the air, you feel like you are floating," Brockington said. "I don't realize I'm that high until I go up to the bar. Once I jump, I'm amazed I can get that high."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
"They hate when you gettin money like athletes." (c) HOV
DRAG
Thomas Raybon knew Lansdowne High senior Martieze Brockington was a special athlete even before coaching the youngster. Last fall, the Sparrows Point High assistant football coach was watching game film when one player caught his attention. "I kept saying, 'Who is that No. 16 kid (Brockington)?,'" Raybon said. "He never gave up on any play and he ran his butt off all the time."
This spring, Raybon joined Brockington as the Vikings' track coach and liked what he saw.
And there's a lot to like about the 2010 Arbutus Times Male Athlete of the Year, who also played basketball for Lansdowne. "In seven years of coaching track, he's probably one of the best overall kids I've worked with," Raybon said. "He was just unbelievable." No obstacle was too great for Brockington to overcome on his way to finishing first in the Class 2A North Region high jump and taking third in the county and state in the same event. He cleared 6 feet, 2 inches at the regional and state meet and came within an ankle graze of clearing 6-4 and winning the state title. Clearing 6-2 in the regional for the first time is a career highlight.
That unprecedented leap came after the 6-foot-3, 181-pound star was overcoming a groin injury that hampered him in the county championship. The injury was sustained two weeks before the county meet, prompting his coaches to suggest he take a week off. "He said, 'No, I want to stick with it and not fall out of shape,'" Raybon recalled.
In addition, two weeks after the school purchased new high jump mats, vandals destroyed them in a shed fire. Unruffled, Brockington traded his spikes for tennis shoes and moved inside to use some worn indoor mats. He would start practice jumps at the 5-8 mark and work his way up to 6-4 -- the height Francis Scott Key's Irving Jeffries achieved to capture the Class 2A crown.
"If we had another year, there's no doubt in my mind he would have been a state champion in high jump," Raybon said. Brockington loved being able to soar over improbable heights. "When you are in the air, you feel like you are floating," Brockington said. "I don't realize I'm that high until I go up to the bar. Once I jump, I'm amazed I can get that high."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
"They hate when you gettin money like athletes." (c) HOV
DRAG
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment