CORTEZ – When the Demon Stadium public address system announced the winner of the triple jump at the Durango Dust Off in early March, perhaps no one was more surprised to hear his name than the meet champion, Montezuma-Cortez High School senior Parley Smith.
“When I found out that I won, I was shocked,” said Smith. “But then it sank in and I thought, ‘Wow, I really did that!’”
The season-opening victory, by more than two feet, proved to be both eye-opening and inspirational for Smith. His mark of more than 38 feet set a new personal best, and since then, Smith has continued to springboard his leaps farther each week in hopes of earning a berth at the Class 3A state championships in mid-May.
Smith already enjoyed a strong start to his senior year as part of the Mancos cheer team, earning All-American status at the National Cheerleaders Association camp in early September. Under the guidance of Bluejays head cheer coach Megan Daves, Smith earned accolades in tumbling and jumping while helping the Jays to a regional championship in coed cheer and a fifth-place team finish in the 2A/3A classification at the state championships in December.
“Working with our cheer team was an awesome experience – when we competed, we were all-in to help each other. I couldn’t thank Coach Megan (Daves) enough for all that she did to push me and the team to bring us together,” said Smith.
The strength, explosiveness and flexibility required to excel on the cheer mat carry over for Smith in the three phases of the triple jump. His background in gymnastics has also helped him build on his natural ability and improve in each of his athletic pursuits.
“Learning the triple has been really difficult, but it’s pushed me to trust in the process and believe in myself,” said Smith. “And that’s something that cheer taught me as well – helping me gain that confidence.”
Longtime M-CHS track and field jumps coach Jeremy Yarbrough has watched Smith take ownership of his improvement in the event, crediting the senior with refining his technique.
“It’s been fun to see him go through the process of learning how good he can be,” said Yarbrough. “And he’s put in the work and is having a lot of fun with it.”
With Yarbrough’s urging, Smith watched countless videos of Olympic-caliber jumpers and then applied those lessons to his own craft.
“Those athletes are really stretching out their stride when they jump, and I also learned to really focus on keeping my speed up all the way through,” said Smith, whose biggest improvement has come in the second phase of the triple jump.
The Panthers senior collected another top finish Friday, April 10, at the Bob Archibeque Invitational, where he landed a leap of 39-10. Earlier this season, Smith broke the 40-foot barrier at the Pine River Invitational – a personal record by more than a foot – but because the jump barely eclipsed the legal wind limit, it will not count toward his Class 3A qualifying mark. Even without that leap, Smith is knocking on the door of his first state track and field appearance, sitting just outside the top 18 qualifying spots with more than a month left to improve his marks.
“This has been a chance for me to prove that if I really work hard, I can get far – and since it’s my senior year, I want to make the most of it,” said Smith, who noted how much he has learned to love the sport, even through the challenges.
Smith, who also played soccer for M-CHS during the fall season, plans to attend Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, this fall, where he will pursue a degree in graphic design and hopes to keep his options open regarding his athletic future.
In the short term, he continues to provide inspiration for his teammates and future Panthers and Bluejays, encouraging them to be unafraid to take on new challenges.
“If you want something, no matter what other people might think, just go for it,” said Smith. “That’s your moment to shine.”
