Arthur Stringer has been jumping in track and field events since the age of 7, but it was only a couple years ago that a teammate suggested he could fly twice as far if he tried the triple jump.
Since then, Stringer has gone from just being an outstanding long jumper to one of the best triple jumpers in the state. Stringer’s talent will be on display Saturday when he represents Paloma Valley High School in the CIF Masters meet at Moorpark High School.
The Wildcats senior is the only Menifee area athlete who made it this far. By placing second in the CIF Division 1 finals last weekend, Stringer qualified for the prestigious event that is one step from the CIF State meet. If he places in the top 6 on Saturday, he’ll be headed to Clovis, California on May 29.
“Making State would mean I’m not delusional,” Stringer said with a laugh. “For four years, I’ve been telling people I’m going to State someday. To prove I was right would mean everything.”
Juan Merida, Stringer’s coach in football and track, is impressed with how far Stringer has come.
“His relentless work ethic and bounce,” said Merida when asked about Stringer’s strengths. “His numbers are amazing, considering his height.”
Stringer stands 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, which he used to maximum advantage in football season. The senior caught 58 passes for 767 yards and 9 touchdowns, while carrying the ball 30 times for 128 rushing yards and 2 TDs. But the spring in his legs says a lot more than his height and weight. His season best in the triple jump is 48-3, which ranks third in the state.
At last week’s CIF finals, Stringer leaped “just” 45-10.75 – which was still an impressive leap and good enough to qualify for Masters. Stringer was asked whether he was pacing himself.
“I still did get a good mark, but yes, my mentality was just to survive,” he said.
Nagging injuries to his joints and ligaments in mid-season slowed his progress and forced a couple weeks of rest. Now healthy, Stringer said he considers himself fortunate to be producing such outstanding leaps at just the right time.
“I just got it from overworking,” he said about the injuries. “It was about a month ago. I missed a couple meets right before league. Honestly, it was torture. But I still helped out by supporting my guys. Some of them got PRs during that time.”
Stringer said he enjoys mentoring the younger jumpers on technique.
“The key is just to get a lot of reps in,” he said. “Words can only do so much in mentoring someone. Until you get on the running surface and feel it, you don’t know. It’s a feeling thing. In the end, you put everything together and you feel like you’re shot out of a cannon.”
Stringer has accepted a full scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, where he plans to continue competing in track and field. He also plans to study finance.
“I’ve been a big numbers guy all my life,” he said.
This weekend, the big number he’s looking for is something in excess of 48 feet. If he gets that, chances are his season will continue.
