Rising to the Occasion
Now, with the encouragement of Coach Beresford “Ozzie” Brown II, she was attempting a new personal best: 5 feet, 7 inches.
“I leaned back, stood up on my toes, and stared down the bar,” Kates says. “I was motivated and amped up.”
And then, the markets, innovation & design major made magic. Using a technique called the Fosbury flop, Kates sprinted to the bar in a curve, or J formation, before launching head first backward into the sky, arching over the bar. It was the fourth-best jump ever by a Bucknell woman.
Kates’ high-jumping career stretches back to the fourth grade, when she decided to try track and field because she was a fast runner.
“Once I was on the team, I realized that there were field events,” says Kates, who stands at 5 feet, 11 inches. “I was pretty good at basketball and volleyball — jumping was kind of my thing. I did the long jump first, and my coach said, ‘You’re tall. You should try the high jump.’ ”
The early results weren’t encouraging. Jumpers who are right-handed, like Kates, typically launch themselves over the bar from their left foot. She says her jumps were “really bad” until she challenged convention and leaped from her right foot. Improvement was immediate.
Kates, who grew up in Aston, Pa., saw Bucknell as a place where she could hone her jumping on a grander stage while also being challenged academically. “I wanted to get a great education while also being able to continue track and field,” says Kates, who finished fourth at the Patriot League Championships in May.
She brings equal energy and ambition into her other activities, including her role as marketing manager of the Bucknell Small Business Development Center. The center helps budding entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. This summer she’s building upon that experience as a marketing intern with Barclays Bank Delaware in Wilmington.
When she returns to campus as a senior, she aspires to become captain of the track and field squad. She wants to lead the team to new heights — namely, a Patriot League title. “Although we have over 100 athletes who compete in different events, we are one big family,” she says. “Coach [Kevin] Donner always says we are ‘under one umbrella,’ and I look forward to helping grow those bonds.”