Day still reaches great heights

There’s no truth to the rumor that Van Halen’s “Jump” is the theme song for the Day family, but it certainly could be.

Costa Mesa High senior Jasmin Day is the latest of Day family members to shine in the high jump.

Jasmin’s mother met her father, Costa Mesa High soccer and high jump coach Eugene Day, while they were both competing in the high jump in a college event on the East Coast. Jasmin’s older brother, Louis Day, competed in several sports, including the high jump, before graduating from Costa Mesa in 2001.

Jasmin’s sister, Sharon Day, won the state title in the high jump while representing Costa Mesa in 2002 and 2003 and still holds the school high jump record of 6 feet, 2 inches, set in 2003. Sharon Day has since moved on to even greater heights at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Sharon’s shoes were big ones to fill, but Jasmin has done her best, both on the soccer field and in the high jump. She began her soccer career at Costa Mesa by helping her older sister and the rest of the Mustangs capture a CIF Southern Section title, and has been a standout player ever since, helping the Mustangs win Golden West League titles every season.

“She picked up where her sister left off,” Eugene Day said.

As good a soccer player as Jasmin Day is, she’s even better in the high jump.

Day captured the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet title in the high jump for the third consecutive year with a leap of 5-8 on May 26 at Cerritos College. But she wasn’t satisfied. She has loftier goals for the state meet today at Cerritos College.

“It felt good to win Masters, but more so to qualify for this weekend,” Day said. “Hopefully I can get to 5-11 or six feet.”

That would be quite an accomplishment, considering her personal best is 5-9.

“I’m really excited. I can’t wait,” Day said. “Hopefully, I can get to a new level.”

Eugene Day said he thinks she has it in her.

“I’m hoping she puts everything together in the state meet,” Eugene said. “She’s been at a steady 5-8 for a while now. She’s been training and going over 5-8. She can do 6-2 easy.”

Easy?

“Easy,” he said. “She’s just got to pop a good one when it counts. She’s just got to trust herself. She’s got the form, the speed, the height. She just has to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to do it.’”

Jasmin Day, who has captured three CIF Southern Section Division III high jump titles, earned an athletic scholarship to Washington State and plans to concentrate on the high jump there. After all, her ability to leap great heights runs in the family.

“She’s keeping up the family tradition,” Eugene said.

The Jasmin Day File

Hometown: Costa Mesa

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 115

Sport: Track and Field

Position: High Jump

Coach: Eugene Day

Favorite food: Manicotti

Favorite movie: “The Italian Job”

Favorite athletic moment: “Winning a CIF championship in soccer my freshman year with my sister, Sharon.”

Week in review: Day captured the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet title in the high jump for the third consecutive year with a leap of 5 feet, 8 inches on May 26.dpt-femaleathlete03.IMG0GraphicInfoCQ1RK1ET20060603CQ1RK1ETNo Captiondpt.03-aow-day-CPhotoInfoCV1RKBF320060603j09jb9ncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)