Carlson Is Shaping Up in High Jump

It’s not hard to figure why Kevin Carlson has excelled in the high jump for Katella High School. At 6-feet-3 1/2 and 130 pounds, he definitely has the figure for it.

“The old slang thing is that in high jumping, if you can get your hips over the bar you’ll do fine,” Katella jump coach Bob Wilkins said. “You look at Kevin. He doesn’t have any hips.”

Carlson laughed at Wilkins’ description: “That’s right. It’s almost like a pole jumping a pole.”

Carlson, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, doesn’t mind the skinny jokes. After all, his build has helped him become the top high jumper in Orange County. In a dual meet at Esperanza Thursday, Carlson jumped 6 feet 11 3/4 inches and tied the county record set in 1983 by Foothill’s Doug Dreibelbis.

Carlson, a junior who jumped 6-4 last year, hadn’t expected to get close to 7 feet this season. He wanted to break the school record of 6-8, which he did with a jump of 6-8 1/2 at the Katella Relays March 17.

But since the beginning of the season, Carlson was scaling new heights, as well as expectations.

“When he came out this year we kind of had a goal of 6-8, but on the second or third day of practice he jumped 6-8,” Katella Coach Mike Cochrane said. “So then we had to revise our goals.”

Carlson said: “Now everybody’s telling me I should shoot for 7 feet. I just hope that I do good in CIF and state. The height doesn’t matter as long as I stay consistent.”

Carlson jumped 6-6 and finished third at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays Saturday, his first meet after tying the record. He said he was disappointed, but added that his legs were tired because he competed in a high school slam dunk contest--finishing sixth out of 17--Friday night at Pacifica High.

“My legs were a little weak and mentally I wasn’t into it,” Carlson said. “I didn’t have the hops that I usually have.”

PERFORMERS

Gavin Arroyo of Villa Park swam on the winning 200-yard medley relay team and won the 100 freestyle in 46.30 seconds, a meet and school record, and was named boys’ swimmer of the meet at the Foothill Swim Games Saturday.

Eric Diehl of Mission Viejo won the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events and helped the Diablos’ 400 freestyle relay team to victory at the Mission Viejo Invitational Saturday. Diehl won the 200 in 1:37.4 and the 500 in 4:30.32, the best time in the county this season. Mission Viejo won the meet.

Erik Mitchell of Los Alamitos won the 200-meter boys’ race at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays Saturday, with a personal-best, wind-aided time of 21.13 seconds.

D.C. Olsen of Fullerton went five for five and had two home runs--his ninth and 10th of the season--and drove in five runs in a 13-12 loss Friday to Sunny Hills.

Kevin Carlson

Katella High School

* Position: High jumper

* Height, Weight, Class: 6-3 1/2, 130, Junior

* Last Week: Carlson jumped 6 feet 11 3/4 inches to tie the county record in a dual meet against Esperanza Thursday.

* Season: Carlson jumped 6-8 1/2 to break the school record in the Katella Relays March 17, then broke it again Thursday.