INTRODUCTION: To succeed in the horizontal jumps, you can't overthink the process. And there is a fairly instant reward. From the time you take off down the runway, you know if it will be a good jump. Zoë Fortin explains the process here.

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When did you first become involved in track & field?
When I was eight years old! I started going to a city-wide track, field, and cross country camp and that's where I first experienced track up close. I was encouraged to start running by my uncle, who was a distance runner. Watching track and field at the Olympics with him made me really want to get into the sport myself. 
 
What made the horizontal jumping events (triple jump, long jump) attractive?
 At first, the jumps didn't really stick out to me, but as I learned more about them I began to appreciate how technical they were. I loved how you really had to spend time learning the correct way to execute them and that the learning process was never over. The jumps combined speed and explosiveness with patience and presented an athletic challenge unlike anything else I had participated in.
 
When you are standing at the end of the runway before your approach, what's going through your mind?
Honestly there isn't much going on up there right before an attempt. The movements necessary for long and triple are so complicated, and it's tempting to try and have every aspect of your approach and jump lined up in your brain, but that's just not helpful. It's way too much to process once you're moving fast, and at least in my experience it ends in a messy jump. So I've learned to focus on very small, specific things that I know I want to really work on for a particular attempt and pick a few words that capture those goals. Then throughout my pre-approach routine I'm just repeating those words in my head, and that repetition helps me relax and focus for the jump.
 
Can you describe the proper technique for the triple jump as opposed to the long jump?
Sure! Long jump is pretty simple in theory: you want a really fast (but controlled) approach where you stay upright, and then a strong upward takeoff. The goal of long jump is to get as much height off the board as possible, and then basically hang in the air as long as you can before landing. Triple jump on the other hand requires a horizontal focus for the first two phases, and then essentially ends with a long jump. So when you're approaching a triple jump you still of course want speed, but your focus should be on moving your hips through the board so you advance your body down the runway as much as you can with your hop and skip, before finishing with a long jump.  
 
How must you land in the sand pit so that you don't commit a foul?
There isn't much you can do in a landing to make your jump a foul, unless you do something crazy like a flip or somersault, or don't land in the sand. It's more common to land a fair jump but then fall back and make a mark that decreases the length of your jump. That's why you always want to keep your momentum moving forward; it's perfectly fine to fall as long as it isn't backwards. The goal is to get used to landing on your butt with your feet out in front of you, and your upper body leaning over your legs, so your hands don't mark behind you. Fouls usually occur when the athlete takes off with their foot over the board on the runway.
 
From the moment you launch into the air, can you tell it will be a good jump?
 For the most part, yes. A good jump starts with a stellar approach, and I can usually tell from the first few strides if the approach is good. The next big indicator is how your foot hits the board during takeoff. If I'm long jumping and I hit the board flat with not enough pop, there's only so much I can do in the air to get me farther. The same goes for triple; if I hit the board with too much pop, I compromise my second phase and lose some control of the jump. It's one of the things that makes the horizontal jumps so challenging: there isn't a part of the movement that can be overlooked. Each step works off the previous, so as the athlete I'm constantly adapting the next part of a jump to what happened in the previous.
 
At Bishop Ludden HS in Syracuse, you ran cross country in addition to competing in track & field. Was cross country a help to your jumping events?
 Distance training isn't the most intuitive choice for a jumper, but it did have its benefits. Cross kept me in a shape, even if it wasn't peak sprinting shape, and it allowed me to stay connected with track teammates year-round. I think it had a significant impact on me mentally as well. Distance running is such a mentally taxing sport and takes a lot of perseverance and mental fortitude to be successful. It is a constant battle through pain and discomfort, and so I like to think that it made me a little tougher athletically. Jumping may not have the same reputation as an endurance sport, and it by no means is in the same league as cross country in that respect, but every jump you take needs to be full go, 100%, all you have, and it is hard on your body. So I definitely credit cross country with getting me used to repeated physical strain, and for building my tolerance to high volume training.
 
When you are home, do you work with any youth programs – coaching, counselling, serving as an official or a time? What do you like about doing that?
 Before COVID I would work with my high school track team volunteering at meets as an official and doing some coaching at practices. My favorite way to help out was coaching at field event clinics (also through my high school team). I never had a jumps coach in high school to work me through the finer details of the movements, and so to be that person for other athletes is really satisfying. I also never thought that I would be jumping in college, and so I hope that coming back to my old team and showing them that you don't have to be a high school superstar to become a college athlete can open their eyes to opportunities they didn't consider before.
 
What led you to the University of Rochester?
Initially it was the flexible curriculum, and then once I toured campus it was the incredibly sense of ease I felt at this university compared to any of the others I had visited. I didn't actually decide what school I was going to until late in the game, but at the end of the day Rochester just made the most sense to me; it was the most comfortable choice. 
 
Why did you choose Economics as your major?
That also happened kind of naturally – I entered thinking I would study Business and took the introductory Economics course that was required for that program. I loved that first course and more or less left Business behind after that first semester! The further I get into the Economics program the more I know it was a good choice for me. It has taught me to view the world through a totally new perspective.
 
Are you involved in any campus groups tied to your studies?
Yes, I got involved with the Undergraduate Finance and Economics Council during my first year at Rochester. FEC provides a ton of cool opportunities for members and has given me better connections within my program. I've been able to attend plenty of guest lectures and even traveled to New York City to learn more about the Finance industry. I'm grateful that I got involved with them so early!