By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Talk about a leap of faith. When standing under the bar, looking up, and convincing both mind and body that this gravity-defying liftoff – hence the name, high jump – is physically possible, it takes quite a bit of belief.
Bedford North Lawrence’s Braydon Patterson does not lack that. Arrogance is defined as exaggerating or one’s own worth or importance in an overbearing manner. That’s not him. But confidence – the feeling of self-assurance arising from the appreciation of their own abilities – is mandatory for an athlete soaring to these heights. There’s a difference. Patterson knows what he can do. Raise the bar.
Patterson, coming off sectional and regional titles in his main event, will compete in the IHSAA state championships on Friday at Indiana University. He is seeded 19th after clearing 6-4 during his regional victory, but his season best of 6-6 would put him seventh in the field of 30 state competitors. That’s not much margin for error, and that would mean a podium appearance for the sophomore with a new ceiling.
“I’ve made my goal,” Patterson said of his first trip to the final stage of the state tournament series. “So I have to set a new one. Just do my best.”
Patterson’s best thus far came in the Hoosier Hills Conference meet. Since then, that number has eluded him. But think about it. He’s a 6-1, slender, sleek jumper who must meld the physics and mathematics involved with the mental determination to jump a height higher than his head.
“It’s getting over the idea of it being difficult,” he said. “It was when I started, but once you get over that, it doesn’t feel that high any more. Just be confident. I know I can do it, I’ve done it once (at 6-6). I have to go do it again.”
Patterson is chasing the school record of 6-8, set by Lane Hawkins during the 2019 regional. Hawkins later finished ninth in the state with jump of 6-7. That’s a high standard. Seem impossible? Not really. When watching him jump, it’s not getting up there that’s the problem, it’s maintaining the technical form to clear that bar without knocking it from its precarious perch.
“I have to make sure I hold my form in the air,” he said. “I have a problem where I don’t hold it long enough, and it causes me to fall down on the bar. I definitely have to keep working on technique, to continue to be consistent.”
Of the top 10 seeds in the state final, six are seniors. That means he’s just an inch or two from being one of the state elite during the next two seasons. Is the sky the limit? It’s a matter of will.
“It’s his confidence in himself and his determination to go higher,” said BNL assistant coach Halle Hughes, a former BNL standout who now helps with the jumpers. “It’s mainly all mental. You have to have confidence in yourself, believe that you can do it. When the bar is four inches taller than you are, it’s always mental.
“He’s improved a lot since last year. Seeing him go up four more inches in a year has been awesome. I just want him to have fun. He’s there, he will be great. Just have fun. He has two more years.“
That doesn’t mean Patterson won’t shoot for greatness now. He just knows his limitations. His progress has been planned, his goals marked off as he heads toward the stratosphere. He will not worry about this week’s destination, because he’s aiming higher in the future.
“I don’t want to stress myself,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be here, I just want to enjoy it. Then over the next couple of years, I want to try to win.
“I’m right on track.”
