Personality, Determination And Talent Come Together For Bloomfield CT Jumper

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

It’s arguably the most famous indoor track meet in the world, bringing in Olympic-level talent from across the globe.

Yet, here is a 17-year-old high schooler named Sean Dixon-Bodie, right in the center of everything Feb. 8 at the 113th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory in New York City, commanding attention.

He looks to his left, and then right, his long arms extended above his head. He starts clapping. The Bloomfield High CT senior wants to engage the crowd as he prepares to launch himself down the runaway.

“He’s not star-struck at any moment. He’s just a big kid who likes to have fun,” Bloomfield jumps coach Maurice Calenda said.

At a towering 6 feet, 5 inches, Dixon-Bodie isn’t hiding from anyone. This indoor track season the spotlight has shone the brightest on him as he’s emerged as the best prep triple jumper in the country. At Millrose, his best jump measured 52 feet, 1.75 inches (15.89m), an improvement on his 2020 US#1 ranking and the third-farthest jump in high school history. The mark also moved Dixon-Bodie six inches closer to the 32-year-old high school indoor national record.

“I didn’t even know I did it,” Dixon-Bodie said of his jump. “They (my coach) literally told me after all my events were over that I jumped 52 feet. All my celebrating was after. It was extremely exciting knowing I’m getting closer and closer to the record.”

The record of 52-7.50 (16.04m) belongs to Keith Holley of Virginia Beach VA. It dates to March 13, 1988 at Yale’s Coxe Cage. It's the oldest indoor record on the books.

So why has the mark stood the test of time? 

“The triple jump is one of those events you can’t cheat,” said Greg Yeldell, who holds the distinction of being No. 2 on the all-time list with a measurement of 52-2.75 (15.91m) in 1998.

Yeldell, who also owns the No. 2 outdoor spot at 53-11.25 (16.44m) is still involved in the sport, coaching The West Texas Express Track and Field Club in Abilene, Texas. He’s seen how the event has evolved since he was in high school. 

“Basically it (the triple jump) might be 20 percent out of 100 percent changed in how people train, but the whole other 80 percent, you can't get over that,” Yeldell said. “For the most part, you can’t cheat yourself.” 

And now, 32 years later, and almost exactly to the same date, the record could come down when Dixon-Bodie competes March 15 in the New Balance Nationals Indoor.

So what makes a former soccer player and kicker on the football team, from Hartford, Conn., a likely candidate to break the record? 

“Honestly, what makes Sean an elite jumper is his willingness to compete,” Calenda said. “It doesn’t matter who’s there, he’s always going to be the same jumper every time. He’s not a kid that thinks too much when he jumps. He just goes out and trusts his training, instead of overthinking whenever he’s on the runway.”

When Dixon-Bodie was 10 years old, people started comparing him to Jamaican legend Usain Bolt because of his long frame. 

“People used to say I was as tall as him, and I was like, ‘OK, I can work with this,’” Dixon-Bodie said.

Dixon-Bodie didn’t join track until he arrived at Bloomfield, simply because he didn’t know track and field was offered at the youth level. He bounced around from the sprints, distance events and eventually found a home in the jumps his freshman outdoor season. Since that spring, when he first jumped 33-6 in the triple, it’s been a steady development, improving each season by leaps and bounds. He experienced a breakout junior campaign where he finally hit the 50-foot mark, going 50-2.50 (15.30m) at NBNI to capture fourth place and All-American status.

“Sometimes he surprises me in how far he can actually go,” Calenda said.

Dixon-Bodie also excels in the long jump, high jump and relays when needed. At the Class S State meet on Feb. 14, he captured first in the long jump (22-9.25) and high jump (6-6) to help his team to a title. This Saturday at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven (noon start), he’ll look to guide Bloomfield to another state open crown.  

“One of my goals this season was making sure I help my team go toward success,” Dixon-Bodie said. “I can't just focus on my primary event if I want to help my team win.” 

For Dixon-Bodie, progression as a jumper is pushed to the brink every day in practice by his environment. His teammates, in particular junior Korey Steele, who is the fifth-best triple jumper in the country (48-5.25) and a top 20 long jumper (23 feet) are a constant source of motivation. 

“Korey is right along side me, dancing with me,” Dixon-Bodie said. “Korey is really, really competitive, even in practice he’s pushing me, and at track meets, he’s going to try and beat me.” 

Another intriguing aspect of Dixon-Bodie’s rise in the triple jump is the fact it is not a sanctioned event in Connecticut during the indoor season. Joel Cookson, Director of Media and Sports Information for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, said he’s not entirely sure why the event isn’t included, but guessed it to be a matter of limited facilities and logistics.

So that’s meant Calenda has to be creative with his jumpers in practice and finding premier meets during the winter. 

“Honestly, we take him where we know he likes to compete at,” Calenda said. “He loves The Armory, it’s one of his favorite places to jump. We train a little bit differently. We have rollout mats. It’s an interesting little mix of how we do our training and picking what meets to go to.” 

While it’s a bit unorthodox, it’s what works for Dixon-Bodie, just like his personality.

“I’m always enjoying myself before I jump,” he said. “I’m probably embarrassing myself in the center of the track and that usually comes from mypersonality.” 

Yeldell explained that was one of the keys to his success as a high school jumper was simply enjoying the moment. 

“I was loose and I was confident and I was able just to relax,” Yeldell said. “And that's one of the big keys in triple jump is not rushing everything and relaxing, and during your approach, just making sure you're not fighting yourself down the runway so you can be able to come off the runway and be quick off the ground.” 

After his 52-foot jump this month, both Dixon-Bodie and Calenda voiced room for improvement, in particular the landing. Calenda explained they haven't paid much attention to the records. 

“It’s crazy how some records can stand up for so long,” Yeldell said. “Records are meant to be broken and I hope he breaks it.” 

Come March, expect Dixon-Bodie to be fully ready for the opportunity.

“My favorite memory is always going to be just watching him clown around or get the other competitors hyped to jump,” Calenda said. “He’s a showman but at the same time he wants everyone to succeed.”