(Photo provided by Jebeh Cooke)
Jebeh Cooke will be a senior at North High School in North St. Paul, MN for the 2017-18 school year. She ran in her first individual event at the state level this past spring and came home with a nice fifth place finish in the 200 meter dash.
Also at the 2017 Girls Class AA State Track & Field Meet, Alexis Pratt (8th grade), Shaliciah Jones (9th grade,) Jebeh, and J'Ianna Cager (10th grade) won both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay races. That incredible group set and broke their own record in the meet in the 4x200 with times of 1:39.81 and 1:39.20! Their times in the 4x100 were 47.44 and 47.72. All four will return for another record attempt next spring.
In 2016, Cooke's 4x100 team ran at the state meet in the prelims; the 4x200 placed 8th in state. In 2015 when Jebeh was a freshman, the 4x100 ran in the prelims and the 4x200 finished in 9th place.
Personal Records:
55m (in) - 7.95
100m - 12.55
200m (in) - 27.27
200m - 24.92
400m - 1:07.02
Long Jump - 14-1
Where were you born? Which sports did you start out in when you were young?
I was born in Liberia, Africa. My first sports were soccer, basketball and volleyball
Why did you get out of those sports? How did they help you become so fast?
I got out of basketball because my shin splints were bad and I couldn't do it anymore. Soccer became a problem for me because I got tired of running back and forth all the time which is hard for people to imagine since I still run. I loved volleyball but just decided to stop playing for some reason.
All three of the sports helped me become fast. I think basketball kind of helped because I had to be at both ends of the court fast no matter what, and soccer with the relentless running kind of helped with stamina.
What does Jamie Oliver emphasize the most with the relays? What does Todd Wallert do that helps out the sprinters?
When it comes to relays coach Oliver emphasizes to trust your teammate that they are fast enough to reach you in time. Coach Wallert helped out with blocks whenever coach Oliver wasn't there, and me personally whenever it looked like I couldn't keep going since I was semi-injured the whole season. He would tell me when to stop because I sometimes didn't know when to let up.
Was it hard to learn how to come out of the blocks? How did you finally learn how to do it effectively?
I honestly still struggle with blocks! It's crazy but I do what's comfortable for me, and I'm working on it so it can be perfect and powerful like my peers.
Sprinting does take a lot of technique. How did you learn the classic running form? What does coach Oliver emphasize?
I never really learned the technique from anywhere. I think it's natural for me. But keeping my chin tucked is something to be worked on. There is always something a sprinter can work on. Coach Oliver always stresses VIOLENT ARM SWINGS, because when that wind hits you your speed and form isn't all there is to it.
Why did Coach Oliver choose the order he did for those relays? What criteria did he use?
J'Ianna and I have been doing relays together for a while and it's always been me third leg and J'Ianna anchor. Alexis was in a relay a couple times last year and she would hand off to me or be the first leg . So when Shaliciah came I think coach just arranged things to see where Shaliciah would work the best.
Describe for us how it felt to win the 4x200 in record-breaking time? Were you able to sleep the night after the prelims? To most of us that was the most exciting event of the first day!
It felt amazing knowing we did that, the joy from seeing a team form like that makes me flabbergasted to say the least. I slept as soon as I got home and didn't wake up till the next morning because the three events made me exhausted!
Describe the relationships between the girls on those two relay teams. Are you close? Is there sometimes some rivalry? What can we expect in the future as you are all returning next year?
We've grown on each other. At any meet we had we would always mess around and you could see us like a little family. These girls made me laugh harder than any season I've had and I laugh a lot. We understood each other and that dynamic is key.
To me if you don't vibe with your teammates, then you can't really trust each other and that will really mess up your handoffs. I don't feel like there's is a rivalry. Yeah we all want to win when pitted against each other but when it all comes down to it we push each other and that is what I love about this relay team. I really don't know what to expect next season because coming into this season I never would've guessed we'd win state in those two relays. I'm just hoping for the best and a good last high school season.
You finished fifth in the 200 meter dash in 25.19. Were you pleased with that result? Why or why not? Did the heat bother you?
To be honest I was disappointed in myself because I knew I could do better. As I stepped up to do the open 200 I just felt all this dread for some reason. I was surprised I made it into state for the open 200. I would have never guessed that I would make it to state as an individual and I felt blessed to have achieved such a high honor!
How did you like the atmosphere? Was it intimidating? How did you deal with all the fans? What were you feeling?
I did feel kind of uneasy, I mean I've been there year after year it's just it never really goes away since anything can happen and everybody is watching you.
However since it wasn't my first State Meet, it didn't really intimidate me it was more invigorating because I didn't know what was in store. There were fans in the crowd? I feel like there were more supporters.
Who are your top competitors? Do you have the opportunity to talk to them? What do you talk about?
I would say my top competitors are my teammate Shaliciah Jones and Anna Keefer of St. Michael-Albertville (who won the 100 and 200 meter dashes, and the long jump). I never got the opportunity to talk to Anna. I'm sure she's a great girl, but Shaliciah is encouraging, so it wasn't that bad since I've competed with her head to head almost all season.
What obstacles have you had to overcome in your life or running career?
I've never really come across a huge obstacle to overcome just little bumps in the road.
Knee pain has caused me to doubt my athletic ability at times but I love track & field and my teammates. They give me lots of support so I push myself to be the best athlete I can be.
Would you like to give a shout out to other teammates and/or coaches? How have they helped you?
I would love to give a shout out to Mrs. Cazett one of my first track coaches in middle school! She came to support us at State. I also was inspired and motivated by all of my teammates from North and our friends.
What about your parents? Do they come to the meets and support you? In what ways have they helped you?
My parents are always busy providing for the family and whatnot, I have other siblings who need stuff to be done other than me but my mom came to state and that meant a lot! I heard she cried when my relay team won both the 4x1 and 4x2 she must've been proud!
They always push me to put in 100% even when I feel like I can't. Honestly what haven't they helped me with that's the real question? Even when they aren't physically there to help they send me texts and say good luck or they ask how my season is going after practice and my mom got a gym membership for me so I can work out.
What other academics, arts, or athletic events are you involved in at North High School in North St. Paul? What honors have you received other than in track & field?
At North I'm involved in AVID, YLC (youth leadership council), and honors. I've always maintained being on the A and B honor roll.
What are your goals in track & field and/or life in general?
My goal is to compete at the college level. I've always wanted to run in the Olympics as well, but if that doesn't pan out I've always got music or sociology.
