As the Gators head to Des Moines, Iowa to wrap up their season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, jumper Ciarra Brewer will be wrapping up her first season with a new coach. Despite the transition in coaches, the freshman had a strong year.
“It’s been really good,” Brewer said. “I’ve experienced not doing so well and then finally trusting my coaches and trusting their word because it’s been the first time I’ve been coached by someone other than my dad. He’s been my coach since I was four.”
But for Brewer, competing at a collegiate level without her dad’s coaching her wasn’t the only thing she had to adjust to. At the beginning of the outdoor season, Brewer’s new coach Brian O’Neal suggested changing her technique.
“At first I didn’t want to change my technique because I was so used to being a double-arm jumper,” Brewer said. “So when coach (O’Neal) brought up this new technique, I said ‘No, I don’t think I should because I just know how to do double arm. I don’t think I can do this.’”
Brewer had reasoning behind her initial resistance. In her first meet as a Gator, she placed second in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump.
She then went to have four top-five finishes during the indoor season in both events, including a runner-up performance at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in the triple jump.
Once she changed her technique, her performances just added to her doubts. At her first three meets of the outdoor season, Brewer failed to break the top five and even fouled out at the Florida Relays. However, Brewer continued to trust O’Neal.
After the rough start, Brewer went on to grab two wins in the triple jump at the Drake Relays and the SEC Outdoor Championships. In addition to the win, her mark of 13.58 meters at the SEC ranks second in the nation.
“It just boosts my confidence some more,” Brewer said. “Just being able to see that I jump well with this new technique because at first I thought, ‘OK, nothing’s really changing, it’s the same thing.’ But finally I saw its benefits. I’m so thankful and grateful.”
At the NCAA East Preliminary Round, Brewer finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 13.30 meter. Although it wasn’t her best performance in the outdoor season, Brewer was still satisfied with the outcome, which was good enough to extend her postseason.
“My main focus was just to make sure I made top-12,” Brewer said. “It didn’t really matter how well I jumped, just as long as I was in the top 12 so I could come back at nationals. Then whatever I needed to fix I [would] fix in the two weeks we [had] off.”
The Gators will be competing in 17 individual events and two relay events. Marquis Dendy (long jump), Tony McQuay (400 meter), Lanie Whittaker (400m), Darshay Davis (100 meter) and Genevieve LaCaze (steeplechase) will start off the meet on Wednesday for Florida.
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Ciarra Brewer competes in the triple jump at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships on May 13, 2012.
