Eli was born in Luverne, Minnesota but left there when he was 3 years old. He started playing basketball at 6 years old, baseball at 7, and football when he entered the 4th grade. He currently he plays basketball at the high school level splitting time between the varsity and JV. He has participated in track & field since 7th grade, but began with the varsity in the 8th grade. He is 6-3 and 178 pounds.
MSHSL Meet Performances:
2017 High
Jump State
Champion (Career best 6-8)
2016 High Jump -17th Place
Who has coached you?
My head coaches are Mark Hanson and Brittany Kurtz.
Shane Magnuson is my high jump coach. He was a hurdler and high jumper when he was athlete. He went 6-4 in high school despite
having a broken ankle. He really helped
me make huge improvements last year. Before that, I had Terry Nutter as my coach. Nutter actually used the Western Roll when he was in
school so was not able to help out with the high jump as much. But he's still with us and is a great long jump coach. We have long jumpers at State almost every year.
What adversities have
you had?
In seventh grade I had some shin splint problems because I
was doing so many sprinting and jumping activities. Then in my freshman season I developed some back
problems. As a sophomore I dislocated my
shoulder in basketball. To solve the back problems I went to a chiropractor and also
balanced out my weight training program so that I now develop both the front
and the back of the body equally well.
The exercise that helped him the most was the Glute-Ham Hyper Exercises. The dislocated shoulder was pretty much healed up by the
time track & field started but initially it was a bit of a mental
problem. It did not take me long to get
over that however.
Who are your main
competitors?
The high jump field was very tough last year, and although I
would be disappointed if I lost this year, the competition is strong again. I do not really get a chance to compete against people in regular meets. I am more concerned about how
well I personally do. In fact one of the neat
things about the high jump is everyone is very nice to each other and we even
help each other sometimes. It is a very social
event.
I know that Maguire Petersen of Hutchinson who I competed
against during the summer is going to be very tough this year. Noah Cvetnic of Chaska will also be good this
year.
Who were some former
teammates who helped you when you were learning to high jump?
Tyler Pallum and Lucas Carroll helped me with the high jump
and in the weight room. They especially helped me to learn how to squat with correct
form.
Who else cheers and
encourages you?
I have a lot of support from my family. My father Matt Hylen grew up on a farm when he was young, but otherwise he would have been a good
athlete. I enjoy working at my grandfather's farm during the summer. My mom Angie Hylen won't brag about her
athletics, but she played volleyball, basketball, and track & field in high
school. She was an all-conference 800
meter runner. My parents are at every
meet. I also have two older brothers Ben
and Alex who were in sports who help me.
Do you do anything else other than high jump?
In addition to the high jump, I've also done the long jump, triple jump, 4x400, and some open 400s. This year, my coaches may enter me in the hurdles and discus as well, although obviously I will not do all of those events every meet. I want to experiment a bit because I have some aspirations of possibly becoming a decathlete some day.
Do you have any
goal-setting strategies?
What I do is type out goals in my phone notes and meditate
on them.
How did St. Francis
do in track & field last year? How
do you expect the team to do this spring?
Amanda Anderson, Tommy Schweiger, Genuine Matthews, and I
competed in the 2017 state meet, and three
of us came home with State titles! Since
we are losing those great athletes it's hard to say how will do. But I know that we do have some good young
people coming up.
What do you do
besides sports?
I have a 3.2 GPA, I have been in choir for the last three
years, and I enjoyed being in the Madrigal Dinner Theater last year. Madrigal Dinner Theater is written by
students who also serve dinner to the guests.
It gets me out of my comfort zone!
I have also been a cook at Mansetti's Pizza and Pasta for the last year and a half.
Do you have any
college plans yet?
I certainly want to be a scholarship athlete at a 4-year
college for track.
Do you have any suggestions or tips for the high jump?
Beginners will want to first develop their J-shape approach
run. Next you have to determine which foot
you will use to jump with. The foot you
use is the outside foot. Most of the time I jump about a foot and a half from the
bar, however the higher the jump the further out I will be from the bar. Throw your arms back on the second to the last step, then on
the very last step you push/punch them up. There are jumpers who use only one arm but I always teach younger
jumpers to use both arms. Next plant your foot and then let your body carry you up,
rotate your body 90 degrees as you go up.
Then you must throw your head back once you are over the bar. Finally float over the bar and then extend
your legs. You try to land on your upper
back or shoulder blades. You want to
avoid landing on your head or neck - that's how I hurt my back as a freshman (and that
is another reason it is important to strengthen your entire back).
In short, run a tight curve, plant the last step quickly, and explode
off it quickly. Do not stick your foot on the ground for very long. The contact must be quick. We do not want to "power-jump," we want to "quick jumpers."
2017 High Jump Results
