Turning silver and bronze into gold

Two years ago, Emily Thames stood at the end of the runway staring toward a long jump pit at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus in Austin. She needed to pop a solid jump attempt to medal in the event when coach Caleb Hall whispered, “I know she has an 18 foot jump in her. If she hits it, she might take the whole thing.”

Thames did hit it, impacting the board with less than a quarter of an inch to spare then propelled herself into the sand 18’ .75” away to capture silver by a half inch. When asked afterward, she responded, “I liked it. I’ve worked hard and I’m coming back to get the gold.”

Last year, Gabriel Wray hadn’t participated in the triple jump at all. He was an outstanding speedster in the 200 meter run and 4x200 relay as well as a consistent 22 foot long jumper but Coaches Josh DeMarco and Wes Lambert thought he had the build and athletic ability to perform well in the triple. What’s more, to have a real shot at the team state championship, they would need points from a jumping event to put them over the top. With barely three weeks left in the season, Wray started attacking the event and worked his way to the state championships. He delivered another Wimberley Texan school record on his way to a bronze medal and added points necessary to win the Texans’ first team state championship in track.

Last year, Thames increased her distance, qualifying for state on her final regional jump. She jumped a personal best at the 2022 state meet yet finished fourth behind three seniors. This year, she would not be denied. Thames took gold in the long jump at the regional meet with a leap of 19’ 2.5”, winning by two and a half inches, going into the state meet on Thursday, May 11 as a top-rated competitor.

On her third preliminary jump, Thames jumped another personal best — resetting her own Texan long jump record — taking the lead at 19’ 3”.

At the same time, on the runway and pit right next to Thames, Wray was taking flight. Though he’d been setting records and winning triple jump competitions by over five feet many times, he and Coach Lambert felt his best opportunity to grab gold was in the long jump.

“I knew that his chances to win gold in the long jump were higher than the chances of him winning in triple. He was better than most. What was strange was that he had to get the wild card entry to get there. He didn’t qualify in the top two but we already knew he had a wild card before he received his medal,” said Lambert. “I told him that they messed up. They just let the best jumper in the state sneak onto the field. He knew exactly what I meant. His last jump at regionals was huge. I told him to watch the video every day, put himself in that spot. Remember what it felt like to run down the runway, to plant your foot? We knew we’re gonna be in a big stage moment that was going to be equal in adrenaline and emotion. I just wanted him to prepare and have his head there long before we even got to the stage.”

Wray sat third after preliminaries but hit his fourth jump and took the lead at 23’ 6”, just an inch short of his Texan school record.

Both jumps withstood the assaults of the other state challengers. Thames and Wray stood next to each other on the adjacent runways in preparation for their last jumps. It was something Lambert had dreamed would happen.

“We actually talked about that earlier in the week. You’re gonna be on the track together. Then it happened. Circumstances allowed Emily’s flight to catch Gabe’s and there they were. Lacey (Lambert) was elbowing me in the coach’s box and she’s like it’s about to happen. And it was really sweet you know, just the fact that we we talked about it with each other,” commented Lambert. “I went back and watched both their jumps when I finally was able to process it. Both of their jumps were near perfection to the drills that we worked and that, to me, was the result of all that they did.”

“This feeling is just exciting. It’s amazing. I’ve wanted this for a long time. A long time,” Wray said with an uncontrollable grin. “I knew I was on when Coach Lambert said before my fourth jump to go full force in this, just don’t stop, just keep on running. I said, ‘Yes, sir,’ and did that. That’s what got me here holding a gold medal.”

“I’m speechless. In ’21 I said I was coming back to get gold and here we are. I’m just so excited,” shared Thames. “I just want to thank God, my family, my coaches and teammates. When I won the silver, I just jumped 18 feet and Coach Lambert taught me better techniques that played to my strengths and we got out over 19. We knew if I set a personal best today that the field would have to come out to get that mark. If they were able to jump that far, then I would have given my best and that’s something to be proud of. I’ve had so much fun.”

Coach DeMarco was certain that the team had made the right call restricting Wray to jumping and pulling him out of running events after district. “He’d gotten banged up and the upside potential for the team and for Gabe’s future was in long jump and triple jump,” recalled DeMarco. “He was jumping in the elite category nearing 50 feet in high school. That’s an opportunity for him to showcase his gifts. As coaches, we’re put in that place to make hard decisions but we also get to celebrate those successes when the kids do what ours achieved. They’re such good kids. We’re going to miss what they bring to the program at Wimberley, not just their talent, but their willingness to buy into the team and to set the example of hard work and determination.”

While Wray was pulled from running late in the season, Coach Lacey Lambert implored Thames to run in relays this season, which she’d been hesitant to do in previous years. “She’d come out of soccer in great shape but not ‘track’ shape and it would take a while to adjust. Her body was tired by the time track rolled around after playing volleyball in the fall, basketball, soccer and then track,” shared Lacey Lambert. “She’d run the open 200 but I felt she might be a missing piece in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. When she began running those, she developed better technique which increased her speed and may have helped her in her long jump technique. She also triple jumped this year with Baylee Gold and scored a lot of points along the season.”

Coach Wes Lambert agreed. “I believe that Lacey challenging Emily to run the relays and Coach DeMarco’s decision to put Gabe on some of those races really helped them in the long jump. You could see them really learning how to push through being tired. I feel like they got faster, like the mechanics running down the runway was better for them both.”

Wray’s bronze medal from last season was matched by his effort this year. He earned bronze again while setting another personal best and Texan track record on the biggest stage with a leap of 48’ 4.75”. The level of competition was high with the gold and silver jumps both securing spots in the top 10 Texas all-time records for 4A triple jump.

Wray was content in his results, knowing he’d given his best. “I just have that mindset to get better each week. So that’s what I want to do, keep going and tell myself I have to beat my mark from last week” Wray reasoned. “In the triple jump, everything felt good. I was tired from sitting out in the sun and everything. But this is my last time and I’m gonna go out and do all I can do. That’s what I did and it got me through.”

Junior Baylee Gold received a call late in the week of the state championships that she would compete on the grand stage. Finishing third in regionals in the 100 meter hurdles, Gold’s time was just out of the cutline for the state meet but a late scratch placed her in the field.

Gold didn’t disappoint, making the most of her time on track by performing a personal best 15.29 while finishing seventh, less than a tenth of a second out of the points. The experience sets her up for a strong season next year according to hurdles coach Chris Ellis. “She continues to improve her technique and her speed between the hurdles. She faced talented upperclassmen in district and showed determination and grit at regionals to earn that spot. Next year, she’ll be ready and will know what to do because she’s been through it.”

For his part, Lambert considers himself fortunate to be involved with some amazing students in Wimberley.

“Gabe is one of those once-in-a-career type of kid. When I was at Abilene Cooper 15 years ago, I worked with a kid who was very similar to Gabe. As I go and think about my career, there’s a chance that I’ll never have the opportunity to coach somebody who’s the caliber of jumper that Gabe is. But, I shouldn’t be surprised,” reflected Lambert. “We’ve got a campus full of overachievers. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I think the majority of our kids walk these hallways and think that — yeah, we have a chance to be successful — and it doesn’t matter if it’s athletics, theater, UIL academics or band. They always walk around like that.”