In the Year 2000, Peterson Aspires to Be a Perfect 10

There are 10 reasons why Tage Peterson figures to return from Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend wearing a gold medal around his neck.

They are, in order, the 100-meter dash, long jump, shotput, high jump, 400 meters, 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.

Peterson, who will be a sophomore at Azusa Pacific University in the fall, is talented in virtually every individual event, making him one of the top young decathletes in the nation.

Peterson, 19, is competing in the U.S. Junior National Track and Field Championships this week. His short-term goal is to place among the top two finishers and qualify for a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in the World Junior Championships July 20-21 in Portugal. His long-term goal is a spot on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.

“I’m hoping to win this meet in Florida, but in the decathlon your goal is always to better than you did the time before,” Peterson said. “As long as I keep increasing my point total, I’ll be happy.”

Peterson brought joy to the Azusa Pacific campus last month with his performance during the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics Track and Field Championships.

Peterson finished third in the decathlon with a career-best 7,267 points and established an NAIA decathlon record for the long jump with a mark of 24-feet-3 1/4. He also won the regular long jump competition with a career-best leap of 25 feet. Peterson’s efforts were instrumental in helping Azusa Pacific win the national title.

“The (regular) long jump came after I had finished the 400, the last event on the first day of the decathlon,” Peterson said. “I didn’t feel real great and thought I’d be lucky to get 23 feet. I had no clue that I had that type of jump inside of me after competing in five events.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Peterson arrived at Azusa Pacific from Marana High in Tucson, Ariz., where he was a Track & Field News Prep All-American in the decathlon. Peterson, who also played football and basketball in high school, had begun training for the decathlon as a sophomore at the suggestion of Coach Marty Honea, who had been an NAIA All-American in the decathlon at Pt. Loma Nazarene.

Peterson finished fifth that year in the Junior Olympics, improved to fourth the next year and won the event as a senior.

“I was looking to go to a (NCAA) Division I school out of high school,” Peterson said. “But the more I looked at Azusa Pacific, the more I felt this was the right place for me.

“Track and field isn’t like basketball where if you go to a small school, you probably won’t get the chance to play against and compare yourself to the most talented players in the country. In track, you can look at the marks and see where you stand.”

Peterson said he was impressed by Coach Terry Franson and the fact that Olympian Dave Johnson was a former Cougar athlete.

Franson had Peterson train alongside Johnson during preseason workouts.

“He (Johnson) gave me a lot of advice in the pole vault and hurdles and things I need help with,” Peterson said. “It’s good to watch someone who is good at something and then mimic them. I learn a lot that way.”

Peterson benefits from natural athletic talent on the first day of decathlon competition. He acknowledges that the second day is a far greater challenge.

“The first day is pretty easy, the second day technique comes more into play,” Peterson said. “I have to spend a lot more time on improving that second day. I’m really working on throws, hurdles and the pole vault. Those are things we’re stressing.”

Peterson encourages other young athletes to give the decathlon a try.

“You have to love it to be able to do it,” he said. “I’m not saying it has to be your life, but it’s almost like you have to have that curiosity that asks, ‘What can my body do next?’ ”

“That’s what keeps bringing you back.”