Alec Clasen celebrated his 16th birthday last May 20 by placing fifth in the high jump at the 2010 Class 4A state track meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Clasen, just a sophomore at the time, cleared 6 feet, 4 inches to match his personal best. He's already topped that this year by going 6 feet, 6 inches at an indoor meet and is hoping to go even higher.

Xavier Coach Russ Camacho thinks Clasen could jump 6-8 or 6-9 during the outdoor campaign. "I don't think either one of those is going to be unrealistic for him," said Camacho.

"I think he's got legitimate potential to do extremely well at Drake (the Drake Relays) and state," said Camacho. "He's jumped against some of the top competition in the state already.

"I don't want to put a number on how high he can jump, but he'll be right up there. I feel he's got a chance to compete for that title this year."

Clasen jumped 6 feet, 4 inches at the district meet last year, then did it again at state. "Pretty cool," he said. "It was my birthday, so that was nice."

He reached 6 feet, 6 inches at the Demon Invitational in Iowa City this month, an encouraging sign. "Yeah, I felt pretty good," he said. "I wasn't expecting to be able to get 6-6. Coach Camacho thinks I should try to reach for 6-9 or 6-10, maybe, if I get lucky."

Working on technique

If he can reach 6-9 or 6-10 this year, maybe an elite 7-foot jump would be possible next year as a senior, but Clasen knows he'll need to improve his technique. "Yeah," he said, smiling. "My technique's not very good."

If he can jump 6-6 with faulty technique, just think what he might accomplish when he figures it out. He's been working on back jumps and his approaches. "If I can get that down it will help me get up higher," he said.

Clasen also has been working on his strength by lifting weights, adding muscle and power. "I'm pretty skinny," he said.

Noah Kittelson of Indianola won the state high jump title last year at 6 feet, 10 inches. He graduated, as did runner-up Keyvan Rudd of Davenport Central (6-8), but Tyler Donels of Southeast Polk returns after jumping 6-6 for third place last year.

Clasen and Donels are both juniors, but Donels appears the man to beat this season. He's already cleared 6 feet, 10 inches at an indoor meet.

Clasen stands about 6-foot-3, so he's already cleared his own height by three inches. He jumped 6 feet when he was an eighth grader at Regis Middle School and hasn't stopped yet.

"Coach Camacho has been working with me a lot to get me ready," he said. "I've progressed pretty well through the years, thanks to him and the coaches."

High jump gets his full attention

Clasen specializes in the high jump and does not compete in any other events, so the high jump gets his full attention. "I get to put all my time and effort into it," he said.

He's studied videos of successful Olympic high jumpers and also studies tapes of his own jumps, seeking to improve. He likes jumping and enjoys the sport. "You get to do a lot of cool stuff, like go to Drake," he said.

Clasen speaks modestly about his success and is trying to take one step at a time. "I'd like to win state. That would be nice," he said. "But I don't know. We'll see. There's probably some competition out there."

He smiles when asked about the possibility of clearing 7 feet. "I don't know about that," he said. "But we'll see where it goes, I guess."

One step at a time.

"I would like to get to 6-9, I guess, as a personal goal (this season)," he said. "I hope I can try to do that, but we'll  see."

How high can he go?

He's only three inches away from clearing 6-9.

"I think he's capable of doing it," said Camacho. "There are just some things we have to refine to get him up there.

"It's going to take time to get him where I think he needs to be. Patience is always going to be an important part."

The potential is exciting.

"Like I say, I think 6-8 is pretty legitimate this year," said Camacho. "We'll kind of see how he improves, if we can get his mechanics fixed a little more and improve some things. He's got leaping ability. Just flat-out athletic ability.

"I'm a pretty firm believer ... set goals, but set them realistically," said Camacho. "Seven feet or 6-10 right now is probably not legitimate. Who knows what's going to happen in a few more months when we get closer
to state."