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Getting To Know Nathan Patterson
November 13, 2018 | Track & Field, Features
Freshman high jumper Nathan Patterson was the 2018 Indiana state champion in the event with a PR of 7-4 (2.25m). His jump was tied for the seventh-highest clearance ever by a high school athlete. Patterson was named the Indiana Gatorade Boy's Track & Field Athlete of the Year and went on to place fourth at the USATF U20 Championships, the highest among all the high school athletes. He joins USC's stocked high jump squad which includes former NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion Randall Cunningham and 2018 Pac-12 Champion Earnest Sears III and is looking forward to competing with his teammates at the highest level.
Q - How are you liking it at USC so far?
NP - I love it here so far. The weather is amazing, the classes… are kind of hard, but that's what I signed up for when I came to a top university. The track program so far has been really fun, I like everybody on the team, so I'm really enjoying it.
Q - What in Los Angeles has taken the most getting used to after living in Indiana?
NP - For me, I guess it's kind of weird not having seasons, like in Indiana right now they're getting snow, and here it's sunny and seventy-five. That's been really weird for me, not having to deal with any seasons or the cold.
Q - When and how did you figure out you had a knack for high jumping?
NP - When I was in eighth grade, I thought basketball would be my main sport. And then I jumped 6-3, in eighth grade, and I found out it was higher than the people that were jumping in my high school. It was like, 'whaaat? I might be able to be pretty good at this.' Because I didn't really have a coach or anything, so I just thought I'd try it out, and then my freshman year I jumped 6-8, and that's when I really knew that it was time for me to start focusing on this.
Q - You share the same event as Randall Cunningham, who won the NCAA indoor high jump title in 2018. What's it like having a teammate with a history of high jump success?
NP - It's really cool. Especially because I feel like he can be a good mentor for me. He has a bunch of experience and I came here knowing that about him, and it's really nice having him as a teammate. You don't really realize how good he is until you start seeing him train, because he doesn't talk about it. He's really humble. It's pretty cool.
Q - How do you prepare before meets? Do you have a specific routine you follow the day before or the day of?
NP - This might sound really weird, but I usually eat McDonald's before a meet. I don't know why, I just always have. And then I always prepare at a meet by doing 400 on the track, just jogging 400. I also like to be with my friends, because it helps me relax.
Q - You've set records and won some impressive titles while at Plymouth High. Is there anything that stands out as your proudest achievement from your time there?
NP - My proudest achievement at Plymouth was probably from last year, me jumping 7-4 at the state meet. I broke a 40-year-old state record by two and a half inches, and also 7-4 was my personal best and I won a state title with it.
Q - What are your goals as an athlete for after college?
NP - I haven't really thought of that a whole lot. I would really like to continue my athletic career after college. I would really love to continue high jumping at a professional level if that's something I'm able to do. I feel like it would be great to further my career in that.
Q - What are you most looking forward to this season?
NP - I'm really looking forward to seeing how I can do while having actual coaching, and also getting a feel for the college competition because in high school I never really had jumping partners, I never really had anyone to compete with me until the National meet. So I'm really looking forward to having actual competition and being able to jump against other great high jumpers.
Q - What are you most looking forward to this school year in general?
NP - I'm looking forward to the outdoor season. Randall will be back by then, so we'll have three elite high jumpers all jumping together on the same team. I feel like that could give us a really good chance at Nationals. We have a really good team this year, and a bunch of young people, including myself. I'm really looking forward to that spring outdoor season.
Q - How are you liking it at USC so far?
NP - I love it here so far. The weather is amazing, the classes… are kind of hard, but that's what I signed up for when I came to a top university. The track program so far has been really fun, I like everybody on the team, so I'm really enjoying it.
Q - What in Los Angeles has taken the most getting used to after living in Indiana?
NP - For me, I guess it's kind of weird not having seasons, like in Indiana right now they're getting snow, and here it's sunny and seventy-five. That's been really weird for me, not having to deal with any seasons or the cold.
Q - When and how did you figure out you had a knack for high jumping?
NP - When I was in eighth grade, I thought basketball would be my main sport. And then I jumped 6-3, in eighth grade, and I found out it was higher than the people that were jumping in my high school. It was like, 'whaaat? I might be able to be pretty good at this.' Because I didn't really have a coach or anything, so I just thought I'd try it out, and then my freshman year I jumped 6-8, and that's when I really knew that it was time for me to start focusing on this.
Q - You share the same event as Randall Cunningham, who won the NCAA indoor high jump title in 2018. What's it like having a teammate with a history of high jump success?
NP - It's really cool. Especially because I feel like he can be a good mentor for me. He has a bunch of experience and I came here knowing that about him, and it's really nice having him as a teammate. You don't really realize how good he is until you start seeing him train, because he doesn't talk about it. He's really humble. It's pretty cool.
Q - How do you prepare before meets? Do you have a specific routine you follow the day before or the day of?
NP - This might sound really weird, but I usually eat McDonald's before a meet. I don't know why, I just always have. And then I always prepare at a meet by doing 400 on the track, just jogging 400. I also like to be with my friends, because it helps me relax.
Q - You've set records and won some impressive titles while at Plymouth High. Is there anything that stands out as your proudest achievement from your time there?
NP - My proudest achievement at Plymouth was probably from last year, me jumping 7-4 at the state meet. I broke a 40-year-old state record by two and a half inches, and also 7-4 was my personal best and I won a state title with it.
Q - What are your goals as an athlete for after college?
NP - I haven't really thought of that a whole lot. I would really like to continue my athletic career after college. I would really love to continue high jumping at a professional level if that's something I'm able to do. I feel like it would be great to further my career in that.
Q - What are you most looking forward to this season?
NP - I'm really looking forward to seeing how I can do while having actual coaching, and also getting a feel for the college competition because in high school I never really had jumping partners, I never really had anyone to compete with me until the National meet. So I'm really looking forward to having actual competition and being able to jump against other great high jumpers.
Q - What are you most looking forward to this school year in general?
NP - I'm looking forward to the outdoor season. Randall will be back by then, so we'll have three elite high jumpers all jumping together on the same team. I feel like that could give us a really good chance at Nationals. We have a really good team this year, and a bunch of young people, including myself. I'm really looking forward to that spring outdoor season.
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