Fabulous, and Not Finished
CSU jumpers ready to pursue success at next level
Mike Brohard
As good as they are on their own as individuals, the Fabulous Five are convinced they are each better because they are together.
And if you’re going to tag yourself with a nickname such as that, you better produce. Which they did. Which they will continue to try to do.
As Colorado State’s men’s team won the Mountain West outdoor track and field title – matching the title from the indoor season – the Rams’ jumpers, coached by Maria Creech, did a lot of the heavy lifting. The five of them – Ismael Dembele, Tim Johnson, Ndayiragije Shukurani, Jamison Taylor and Rhys Travis – produced 65.5 of the winning total of 192.5 points. They did so with Dembele winning a pair of titles – the long and triple jumps – Travis and Johnson going 1-2 in the high jump and Shukurani and Taylor both placing in all three events.
Creech has hailed her jump group (men and women) as the flight crew last year, giving her clan bag tags for the 2024 conference outdoor championships. This group of men decided to take it further – or higher if one prefers.
“I think we set our goal our for the meet was to get 60 points, so I guess you’d say we exceeded our expectations. There was nothing new that happened at the meet,” Travis said. “We just went out and did what we’ve been doing all year. We trusted the training and it got us to where we’re at. The result was all the hard work we put in.”
When Johnson cleared the bar at 6-11.5 in the high jump, the group celebrated. Not just because it assured the team of the 1-2 podium finish, but because it meant he qualified for the upcoming NCAA West First Round meet this week in College Station, Texas, meaning every member of the Fab Five were going. And they won’t be alone.
When the meet begins Wednesday at Texas A&M, 15 Rams will compete in 11 different events, four of them competing in a pair over the course of three days. The goal for all the qualifiers is to finish in the top 12, earning a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 11-14.
It is a different meet. No finals, no podiums. Just do your best in your heat and try to land within the magic number to qualify for nationals.
This will be the first time at the meet for the five jumpers. Dembele, however, has competed at the Division II Outdoor Championships, so he at least has an idea what the meet is going to be about. As a group, they’re sticking to the game, plan, one which has been spot on all season.
One which has been geared to this moment.
“All of them have it. I’ve been talking about his all year, from the day we walked in,” Creech said. “They know this has been the goal. I set up training for this. They didn’t peak at conference which is crazy to me. This training cycle is set up for them to peak next weekend. If that’s an indication of what could happen, I don’t know.”
What they’ve already done has been pretty sensational. Travis won the outdoor title in high jump, Johnson the indoor crown, but it is the freshman Shukurani who has soared highest during the season, going 7-0.25 at the Doug Max Invitational to rank No. 2 in school history; Travis and Johnson are tied for fifth.
Dembele, with his effort of 51-11 at conference in the triple, now holds the school record while ranking second in the long jump. Both lists also include Shukurani (10th triple, 11th long) and Taylor (tied 15th long, third in the triple).
This training cycle is set up for them to peak next weekend. If that’s an indication of what could happen, I don’t know.Maria Creech
All of them are good. All of them better because of the next guy.
“I feel like it definitely starts with fall training. We’re together every day from Monday through Saturday, and those Saturday workouts we’re pushing each other to our full potential,” Dembele said. “I thought that just translated into the season. This year, we all got closer. Last year we weren’t as close as we are this year. This year at meets we’re hanging out, always together, always supporting each other. Everyone wants so see everybody win. When one person is winning, we all go up with it. We all do the same training. I know If I’m doing well, this person is going to do well.”
He has a point. On Friday at conference, the long jump started 30 minutes before the high jump. Until then, the group was watching and supporting him, and when a few of them were involved in both, there became a back and forth.
The longer an event goes, the higher the energy climbs, spurred on by Creech, who is no wallflower. Travis said they start with a Bedard motto – to compete with joy – and take it a step further.
“We’re goofy,” Dembele said. “We’re not very serious. I don’t know how to explain it. When we were all competing, we were in the same flight in triple, and the energy amongst all of us .. I felt we’re making our competitors better just by our presence.”
One of the primary targets is Johnson, the lone senior, whose prime instigator is the freshman. The suggestion of this makes him laugh knowingly and confidently. As it turns out, the elder statesman of the group has certain subjects which will lead him to rants, and Shukurani is more than happy to push the buttons.
“It’s like rage-baiting him,” he said, smiling. “There are several things that get him going.”
Their text threads are very much the same way, but also very encouraging. That’s another trait they carry over from their coach, who takes the positive approach to corrections, which Creech likes to do in front of the group. If one of them has a technical issue, she points it out in front of the rest of them.
With good reason.
“I think the best recipe is for everyone to know the recipe. I coach them all standing in a group, individually,” she said. “Here’s Shuku, here’s what he’s doing and what he needs to do better. Here’s Rhys, what he’s doing and what he needs to execute. They all know whatever everybody is working on, even though they’re working on different things. For them to understand each other’s cues is helpful if I’m not present right in that moment. I have to run back and forth at practice. They watch each other and see if they can figure it out without me.”
They all listen. They all watch. They all help. They do all of that while carrying the same energy and joy from meets into the work they do at practice.
They also learn from each other, which Shukurani has used to build quite the debut resume. He takes technical ideas from the group, as does Dembele, but he’s also watched how they go about their work and handle competitions.
The entire season has been new to him, but he’s produced like a seasoned vet, which has earned high praise from the rest of the remainder of the Fab. Even from himself, which gives him a bit of confidence heading into this next meet. Though he qualified for two events, he will focus solely on the high jump.
“I’m going into it as a learning experience, going out there give it my all and see what happens. You never know,” he said. “In the beginning of the school year, Creech and I had a meeting, and all the marks I’ve hit, I told her that’s what I wanted to hit. It’s kind of crazy. It’s a really good feeling.”
One he and the rest of the group plan to carry into this week. It’s a different meet with varied names, depending on the age of the person describing it. The NCAA goes with First Round now. Others refer to it as the preliminary round, while some go with regionals with the East and West divided.
Creech understands it will hit all the first-timers differently, and she wants them to soak in all they need to as soon as possible to focus on the event. Take in the crowd and the venue. Understand the pressure which comes from such setup.
While the group has lived up to it’s own nickname, they additionally understand they can be fabulous once again and still not come away with the grand prize they seek. That’s not a reason to not try. And they all feel about the same way as Dembele, who is flying high on the wings of three conference titles combined this year.
“My confidence is definitely at an all-time high. We’ve been talking about his for a long time,” he said. “We always knew I had a chance to hit these marks, it was just a matter of me doing it. This is a big meet. I went to DII nationals my sophomore year, and this year Im thinking the same thing. It is just proving to myself I’m also one of the best, and not just in the Mountain West.”
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