Whitley sets sights on Relays crown as duel with Jessie renews once more
By JAY THOMAS Assistant Sports Editor
Golfer Sam Snead once said the only things he ever feared were thunder, lightning and Ben Hogan. Kansas long jumper Stan Whitley has his own version of that now famous credo.
Only in his case, tornadoes and teammate Ron Jessie play the ignominious roles.
The Washington, D.C., native has beaten Jessie but admits that it will be a long time before he overcomes his qualms about the Kansas whirlwinds.
"That's the one thing I don't like about Kansas—those tornadoes," said the Big Eight Indoor champion. "I don't like the pictures of places where houses used to be."
One thing Whitley does not need to fear is competition in his specialty—that is, with the exception of Jessie. "He's the one I try to beat," says Whitley. "If I can top him, I'm pretty sure of placing high in the event."
So far, Whitley's formula has yet to fail. The only times Jessie, an Imperial Valley, Calif., juco transfer has finished ahead of Whitley, he had to win the NCAA Indoor and UCLA dual meets to do it. Every other time, Whitley has been on top-of Jessie and just about everybody else.
Favorite this weekend
Fresh from a second place at last weekend's Texas Relays (where he leaped a fine 24-2/3 in spite of a muscle pull in his right leg), Whitley goes into Saturday's KU Relays' long jump as the favorite to take the crown which evaded him last year.
Of course there are others who could press Whitley and his pal Jessie. "Oklahoma State's Hal Oswalt is one," says Stan, "and Mel Gray of Missouri is another. Mike Gregory of Oklahoma and Bill Aeschlimann of Colorado could also be tough although Aeschlimann seems to lack consistency."
Other than those names, it should be, as it has been in most of KU's meets this year, an all Kansas show.
Jessie, a promising football tailback as well, has been preparing for Saturday's jump-off by practicing with Pepper Rodgers' gridders. He will continue to do so until the end of spring practice, but is at present permitted to compete in track—where he is also a championship caliber hurdler-on weekends.
10 KANSAN Apr. 16 1969
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Whitley, who also will run a 440 yard relay leg, has been doing speed work this week, running eight to ten 110 and 165 yard sprints in workouts. "Before most meets." Whitley
notes, "the coaches will oversee our work fairly closely but this week I've been working out pretty much on my own."
Stan Whitley
Leisurely practices
By his own admission however, Stan has not been wearing himself out. "I never go all out in practice," says Whitley. "If you do, you're liable to be tired for a meet and that's when you're supposed to be at your best. This week I'll just do some speed work and a few pop-ups (sprints of 20-25 yards culminated by straight up-in-the-air springs)."
Whitley, last year's indoor and outdoor Big Eight champ as well, closely adheres to a regimen of taking few actual jumps during a week's practice. "If you do that you're liable to come up with a 27-footer and totally 'psyche' yourself out for a meet."
"Psyching out" can work two ways however with jumpers
occasionally employing various methods to disrupt the normal technique and performance of their competition.
"Oswalt tried that on me last weekend down at Texas when he complained to the judges after they permitted me a slight rest
before one of my jumps. I had just finished running a relay leg and needed a few minutes to catch my breath."
Whitley, whose record 20.11" effort in February's conference meet stands as a career best, scoffs at such measures.
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