Amneus Pursuing Lofty Goal : Motivation May Carry Foothill Jumper to County Record

It doesn’t take much to get high jumper John Amneus of Foothill High School motivated. And he has found that a little motivation can bring record-breaking results.

When teammate Tim Trevor bought a program before the opening of the Valencia Invitational last Saturday, he made a point of showing Amneus that the meet record for the high jump was 6-feet 7-inches.

“I thought, ‘I can beat that,’ ” Amneus said. “I had finished second in the meet last year to the guy (Eric Dorn of Estancia) who had the record.”

Amneus and Mark Wilson of Charter Oak began their assault on Dorn’s mark on a cool, slightly breezy day that Amneus said was ideal for high jumping. The duo had both cleared 6-6 and had their sights set on 6-8.

Amneus easily cleared 6-8 to break Dorn’s mark, but he wanted more. He turned to Wilson and said, “Hit the jump; I need the pressure to keep going.”

Wilson obliged, clearing the mark on his third attempt. It was just the impetus Amneus needed to clear 6-10, and the bar was raised to 7-0, which would have been an Orange County record.

Now, all alone, Amneus missed on three attempts. He came close on his second try, clearing the height but clicking the bar with his heel on the way down.

“I had planned to go 6-8, but 6-10 was an added surprise,” Amneus said. “Now I think seven feet is a realistic goal.”

If good competition is all that Amneus needs to break the county record--6-11 3/4, set by Foothill’s Doug Dreibelbis in 1983--then he could reach that 7-0 mark tonight in the 20th Arcadia Invitational.

The event is considered to be the most prestigious meet in Southern California, with more than 300 schools from four states competing.

Chris LaQuay of Vacaville has this year’s top high jump mark in the state at 6-10 3/4, followed by Ricky Pickett (Fresno Clovis), Eric Young (Oakland Fremont) and Amneus at 6-10. All four are scheduled to compete.

“I’m really looking forward to the meet,” Amneus said. “The better the competition, the better I compete. If I can clear seven feet at Arcadia, I’m looking to 7-2 at Mt. SAC (April 24-25).”

Lofty goals? Perhaps. But a quick look at Amneus’ career shows steady improvement since his freshman season when he cleared 5-10. He reached 6-2 as a sophomore and 6-6 as a junior.

Amneus’ success is the result of rigorous weight training and tedious workouts on what is popularly known as “Sprinter’s Hill” at Foothill. The hill is actually an asphalt incline near the Knights’ baseball field where Foothill athletes work on their leg power and speed.

The workouts are often an exercise in boredom, but Amneus says it’s a small price to pay. He enjoys the off-season training and in the summer spends a lot of time in the Knights’ weight room.

“The summer before my junior season, I was in the weight room every day,” he said. “But since they’ve remodeled the place and put in some mirrors, I don’t like it. I guess I have a boxer’s mentality.

“The place has to be ugly in order for me to work hard. The slimier and seedier the place is, the harder I work. When the guys used to write graffiti on the walls, it made me feel at home.”

Amneus, who has maintained a 3.2 grade-point average, has been accepted at Penn State. He plans to continue his track career and major in communications.

“I want to go away to school,” he said. “I want to expand, and I feel I need a change of scenery to do that.”

His biggest fear is burning out in track before he has reached his peak as an athlete.

“I’ve read about so many gymnasts, swimmers and ice skaters who burned out early and never reached their potential,” he said. “I don’t want that to happen to me. I love track and even training for track.

“I might try playing baseball my first year in college or I might redshirt to take a break.”

Daryle Ware, Foothill track coach, thinks Amneus has the potential to become a top collegiate hurdler. He points to the senior’s powerful calf muscles as he jogs around the track and says Amneus is a natural in the sport.

“If he worked at it, I’m sure John could be our best sprinter,” Ware said. “It was obvious before the season started that he had the potential to be a 7-foot high jumper. He can be just about anything he wants to be in track.”

As long as he has something to motivate him.