Devon Prep long jumper Charlie Verna is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week

A sophomore, Verna qualified in the long jump for the PFTCA Indoor State Championships, and is the second Devon Prep athlete to qualify (the first was Jon Sclafani  in 2006, for the mile run). He competed in the TFCAofGP 51^st Meet of Champions at Lehigh University Feb. 20 (was the first Devon Prep underclassman to qualify since 2005), and came in first in the long jump at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Great Philadelphia –(TFCofGP) Meet #5 at Haverford College, with a jump of 21 feet, 5.75 inches – more than two feet longer than any other competitor. He is currently ranked No. 6 in Pennsylvania in the long jump (first among sophomores) and seventh in the nation among sophomores. He also plays soccer for Devon Prep.

Q: What aspect of your long jump are you working on most recently?

A: In these past few weeks I’ve been really trying to work on my landing aspect of my long jump, from watching videos and having my coaches tell me that my run-up and my jump were as good as I am going to be able to get them. Not having a track or a long jump pit at my school restricts the amount of in-pit practice I have for the long jump making it harder for me to work on the aspects of my long jump, but with the incredible help from my coaches; Dave Evans, Griff Roberts, and Tim McNally, I have been using alternate methods to practice.

Q: Does your indoor jumping strategy differ much from your outdoor jumping strategy, and if so, what are the main differences?

Q: You finished in first place in the long jump at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Great Philadelphia Meet No. 5 at Haverford College, with a jump of 21 feet, 5.75 inches – more than two feet longer than other competitors, and you beat your personal best by three feet. What was the key to your success that day? Can you share with us your most vivid memory of the event?

A: The day on which I jumped 21 feet 5.75 inches, my key to success was to just have fun and go out and jump. I haven’t really been focusing on practicing the long jump during my indoor season so I wasn’t expecting anything astonishing from my jumps but that day God was watching over me and gave me the strength to jump as far as I did. My most vivid memory from that event was running down the runway with the other participants and coaches watching me stomp on the board and jump, landing 21 feet 5.75 inches from that board.

Q: What does it mean to you to be the first Devon Prep athlete to qualify for the Meet of Champions since 2013 and the first underclassman to qualify since 2005? What was your most memorable moment at the Meet of Champions? Can you describe that moment for us?

A: I truly feel blessed to be the first student to qualify for the Meet of Champions since 2013 and the first underclassman to qualify since 2005, I dedicate what I do to God because He has blessed me with my abilities in track and field. Going to the Meet of Champions was honor and was a great experience for me, my most memorable moment was being able just being to be there with other extremely talented jumpers and runners from many different schools and having them push my limits and see what I am capable of doing.

A: Before I jump I always stretch to make sure I don’t pull anything or hurt myself, the last thing I want to do is end my season early. I start off with a few laps then do a series of multiple different stretches that I feel help me to get warmed up. Mentally preparing yourself is equally as important as physically preparing yourself, you need to get yourself in the right mindset before you do anything or else all your training will be worth nothing.

Q: You also finished sixth in the 55-meter dash at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia meet at Haverford College last month with a time of 7.05, which ranked you fourth in Pennsylvania among all sophomores. Can you tell us a little about the race that day – what was the key to your success – when you crossed the finish line, did you feel like you had run a special time?

A: The day I ran that I didn’t expect much out of it, I don’t focus on the 55 but I was put in it to get a time. I didn’t have the correct mindset during the race but I still did what I was supposed to do, run fast. Crossing the finish line I did not feel like that was a special race, I didn’t really believe that I even made it to the finals, let alone have that time rank me fourth among all Pennsylvania sophomores. This showed me that God works in extraordinary ways, he showed me that I shouldn’t doubt my abilities in anything.

Fun Facts – Charlie Verna

Favorite book: And Then There Were None.