Jaden Lippett

Winter Haven HS, Winter Haven, FL, c/o 2024
AthleticNET Bio

Jaden Lippett had done a bit of track when he was younger. At eight years old, he ran some AAU track and field competing in the sprints running 16.32 for the 100 meters and 51.21 for the 200 meter dashes. He was a football player who in fifth grade got some encouraging words from Marshawn Lynch at a football camp and since then, he’s been a Seattle Seahawk fan. It was in football though that his jumping talents were discovered. 

During football practice as a freshman, “Jaylipp '' as he is known was doing a broad jumping drill. The young wide receiver jumped so far his coach, Brian Johnson, suggested he come out for the track team and try the long  jump. He was hesitant at first. He wasn’t sure what to make of it and after a week of his coach asking, he decided he would try.

He was pretty good at it, initially, breaking the school record at the time in his second or third meet he recalls. He got out to 21-08.25. During practices, his coach suggested he do the triple jump too. He didn’t know what that was which sent him to youtube to learn about it.  It was frustrating for him at first trying to get the technique down, but soon he was bounding well. He ended the season with a best of 42-02.25.

His sophomore year, he began to get the hang of jumping. He leapt 23-02 in the long jump and 46-08.25 in the triple jump at the district meet, before finishing third with a 22-08.5 and winning the triple jump with a 47-02.5 at the Florida State 4A championships. Post season, he upped his personal best to 49-06 to finish second at the Adidas Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, NC in June. 

He credits a lot of the improvement to working with Darius Jones, the former FSU track and field athlete who won the ‘99 ACC Indoor title (24-08.25).  

“He helped me a lot. He taught me actual phases and jumping off the board. He broke it down for me because I didn’t know the technique of the triple jump. We worked on the first phase, then the second phase and the third phase.”

A typical training week for Jaylipp involves running through the boards and plyometrics on Monday;  straight jumping on Tuesdays; Wednesdays is short 60 yard sprints and some bounding drills; Thursdays are landings; and Friday is recovery. He attributes his success to running hills, bounding and plyometrics. In one drill he bounds with a 15 lb weight vest from one end of the football field to another. 

His track facility is not the best. The runway is worn out and old and his pit is overgrown with grass. His aunt is working to get it updated as he twisted his ankle keeping him out of training for a bit. He improvises by training at the George Jenkins HS track some 20 minutes away.

He thinks of himself as more of a triple jumper than a long jumper now.  One can see why. This past season, he won his first national title with a leap of 50-08.25 at the Nike Indoor Nationals. Outdoors, he claimed his second state title in a row with a 50-06 jump. In the post season finished third at the Nike Outdoor Nationals with a 49-09.75. His jumping was cut short at NON because of an injury suffered after his third jump. He has since recovered.

He’s been limited on the meets he competes in outside of Winter Haven in Polk County where he lives; population 52,710. It’s a small town with some notable alumni including 1996 Olympian Keith Brantly, Olympian Rowdy Gaines, and musician Gram Parson of the Byrds. It’s also home to Legoland which took the place of Cypress Gardens Park and where the first Publix grocery store was built.  He’s working with the school to get more meets like FSU Relays and Florida Relays added to his schedule. He loves competing against the best and these opportunities will help him get the best out of himself.

“My main goal is to compete at the highest level.”

At 6-03 and 175 lbs, he has great length and size. This summer, he’s been working on getting his legs stronger through weightlifting more. He thinks he’ll be able to avoid injuries and with the added strength possibly challenge Andre Scott’s state record of 53-04.