Interview with SHS Track & Field Athlete Jordan Espinoza

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I interviewed another track and field athlete who made a big impact in just one year with the Panthers.

Meet Springboro High School's Track & Field Athlete (and recent graduate) Jordan Espinoza...

Track story:

Jordan’s story on the track started in first grade when she competed for fun in the Junior Olympics at her elementary school. She beat all of the boys in her class. With this early win, she wanted to continue competing in track to see how far it would take her. During her middle school years, Jordan met more serious competition, traveling to other schools for meets. This was when she really fell in love with track and field. Jordan moved to Springboro from California just before her senior year. This season, she competed in the 100m, 200m, long jump, triple jump, and occasionally relays and the 400m for the Panthers. 

Jordan’s track accomplishments:

Jordan placed fourth in the long jump in the Greater Western Ohio Conference finals with a jump reaching 15’ 1.5”. She also placed in the 200m at GWOC with a time of 28.20 seconds. At Regionals, she took ninth place in the long jump reaching 16’ 7”. This was the fourth time this season that Jordan broke the long jump record at Springboro High School. In fact, Jordan’s season with the Panthers was marked by setting records and breaking records. In addition to the long jump, she set the school record for triple jump and then broke it two more times! She was also Athlete of the Week at SHS this season. 

Fun fact about Jordan:

Most people may not know that Jordan Espinoza is named after Michael Jordan! Destined to be a great athlete, Jordan was the first freshman female in her school’s history to be crowned Sprinter of the Year at her school in California. 

Jordan’s favorite thing about competing for the Panthers:

Even though Jordan’s first season competing in track and field for the Panthers was also her last, she made a great impact on the program. I was curious about what she loved most about SHS track, and Jordan said that her favorite part about competing for the Panthers was the coaches. She said they were so much fun to be around and made her immediately feel at home in the program even though it was her first year here. 

Jordan’s pump up music:

Before every meet, Jordan puts on her favorite rap playlist to get hyped up to compete. 

What Jordan is most proud of as an athlete:

Jordan is a humble athlete, but she has accomplished a lot already. I asked what she is proud of herself for; she is proud of being able to continually break her records. In Jordan’s words, “it’s just cool to know that you’re getting better.” Her individual drive to improve and perform better than the meet before is at the core of her success. 

Jordan’s plans after high school:

Jordan’s track journey is not stopping yet. She’ll be competing for the next four years at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. 

Jordan’s advice for track athletes:

Jordan wants to remind athletes that it doesn’t matter whether you are just starting or if you’ve been playing forever; these four words mean so much: “Give it your all.”