Sentinels’ Jackson Draws on Island Power

Dressed in flower-patterned skirts called lava lavas, vivid headdresses and painted body art, the Polynesian members of Magnolia’s track and field team typically draw a fair amount of curiosity during their meets.

“It’s a way for them to unite with each other,” Magnolia Coach Rick Penn said. “They’re so outgoing and so comfortable with themselves and their culture. Of course they tried to get me in a lava lava too.”

But this season there is substance to go with their style.

Penn has put together the finest group of shot-putters and discus throwers he has seen in seven years at Magnolia. A strong corps of athletes with Samoan, Tongan, Tahitian and other Polynesian lineage make up about one-fourth of the Sentinels’ track and field program.

Leading the way is senior Peninatautele “Etta” Jackson, who is among the county’s best throwers.

This season, she has a county-best mark of 134 feet 9 1/2 inches in the discus, which she achieved at the Jack Bighead Relays last month, and the county’s third-best mark in the shotput. Her put of 38-1 1/2 earned her first place at last weekend’s Tustin Relays.

Jackson has shown great improvement over her marks from last season. She has already surpassed her best 1997 throw in the discus by more than 11 feet, and has improved her shotput by nearly 3 1/2 feet. She holds the school record in each event.

“We’re not very surprised that she’s jumped up,” Penn said. “We were right on the edge last season. She’s not enamored by it one bit, it seems like, but I’m pumped up. I think it’s exciting.”

Jackson will be facing some of the county’s top competition for the first time this season because she has decided to compete on Saturdays.

She is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which observes sundown Friday to sundown Saturday as a day of prayer. She has decided, however, to sidestep the church’s restrictions and will compete in some of the top meets, beginning with Saturday’s Trabuco Hills Invitational.

“I prayed about it and the timing seems right,” Jackson said. “I can compete and bring glory to God through athletics.”

Jackson doesn’t benefit from an extra-large frame. While her physique is solid, she doesn’t stand out from her teammates. “Surprisingly, she relies on her quickness when she throws, it’s not as much strength,” Penn said.

Jackson has made one major adjustment in her shotput approach. She had been using the more difficult spin technique, which is used in the discus, but Penn recently had her switch to the traditional glide motion. This helped Jackson gain better control of her release, which made her throw straighter and farther.

“The spin is real tough to master in the shotput,” Penn said. “The first time we used the glide in a meet was [at the Jack Bighead Relays], and she beat her personal best by two feet. She even popped a couple 41-footers warming up.”

Jackson is still a long way from the Southern Section record of 53-7 3/4 in the shotput and 174-9 in the discus, both set by Fullerton’s Natalie Kaaiawahia in 1983, but Penn and Jackson agree that marks of 40-0 in the shot and 140-0 in the discus are within her reach.

“That’s our immediate goal right now,” Penn said. “We feel if she can do that, then she can compete in the really big meets.”

Jackson’s athleticism is evident in other sports as well. She led the Sentinels’ basketball team in assists and rebounds and was named most valuable player. Her 12.1 rebound average was 11th best in the county, and she earned first-team All-Orange League honors.

Last fall, she was named most valuable player of Magnolia’s volleyball team and also earned all-league honors.

Penn believes if the heptathlon was a high school event, Jackson would be among the county’s best.

“She can jump, she can throw, she’s even got some speed,” he said. “In fact, we’re trying to get her to do the long jump.”

Jackson’s talents go beyond athletics. She’s a senior member of a Polynesian dance troupe, which has performed at various schools throughout Orange County, including her own last Friday during International Day.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Jackson said. “We’ve been doing it since our freshman year.”

Jackson and her Polynesian teammates, as well as Mandy Haeberle, a non-Polynesian member of the throwing corps, sport their native apparel during competition. Both the boys and the girls wear lava lavas tied at the waist, and it’s not uncommon to see a small ensemble engaged in a dance recital between throws.

“It’s a way to bring our cultures together,” Jackson said. “And the rest of our team enjoys our company.”