Ethan Heitman, Lake City High School Class of 2019
Personal Bests
High Jump: 6'8"
Long Jump: 23'0"
100 meter dash: 11.51
4 x 400 team best time: 3:28.02
MSHSL State Meet 2017:
3rd place in the High Jump
3rd place in the Long Jump
11th place 4 x 400 Relay
Tell me a little bit about your background.
I was born in Rochester but grew up in Lake City. My first sport was soccer which I began playing in Lake City in our town tourney as a kindergartner. I played that sport until fifth grade. I also started track and field in city youth camp in elementary school. Then in sixth grade I began playing football and basketball. I stopped playing football in eighth grade and ran cross country during my ninth grade year. Basketball, and track & field are my sports now. We made it to state in basketball last year and finished in sixth place.
What adversities have you had in sports?
I had a great summer in the USATF Junior Olympics program and am currently the top ranked high jumper and long jumper in the state of Minnesota. My biggest adversity so far in my career is an ACL tear that occurred in one of those meets last August. I first hurt the knee in the Junior Olympics. It seemed minor so I kept competing. It seemed to be a hyperextension and did not hurt that much or affect me so I thought very little about it.
I had previously put off my basketball teammates who wanted me to play some basketball before the track & field meets. So a couple days after what I thought was not a serious knee injury I gave in to my friends and played basketball. I fell over while playing and hurt the knee again. From there I sat by and watched them play. They drove me home afterwards. It hurt so bad that I had a difficult time walking. So I iced it for a couple of weeks. Then I went out to test it and during a simple jump stop the knee popped. From there we went to the Mayo Clinic. I had reconstruction surgery in September. With this, I have become a mentally stronger athlete.
Who are you main competitors?
My main competitors that I saw the most last year are Connor Christensen of Byron and Marcus Weaver of Lewiston-Altura. Tyl Woelber of Pipestone Area, who I do not see often, is also a major competitor for me. I talk to all of these guys.
Who are some of your Lake City Tiger teammates who you work closely with?
Devon Devonfeder, a sophomore high jumper and hurdler, has lots of potential along with Ethan Bany, who is a junior high jumper and sprinter.
Name some key people in your fan base?
My sister Taylor Heitman who was a former track & field athlete for Lake City is at every meet and also helps coach me during the summer for the high jump. She graduated two years ago. My parents Angela and Darrick are also at every meet with my younger brother Seth. My Grandma is also at every meet.
Who coaches you?
Last winter I had session with Kevin Netzer, UMN assistant coach. Last summer, I attended camp at Kansas State where I worked with Erik Kynard Jr.
My coaches during the regular season are head coach Andy Hoch; high jump coach Howie Cook; and long jump coach Tim Anderson. During the summer my sister Taylor is my main high jump coach and Andy helps me with the long jump and with extra drills for the high jump.
What are your goal setting techniques and what do you do for the mental training?
I learned this from my sister that you need small goals that will lead to bigger goals.
For mental training I learned (from my Sister) that you need to have fun in Track and that you can't always be serious. Before that I always thought I had to be super serious. By switching to the philosophy of just having fun I also found I performed better.
I learned from Kevin Netzer that every meet you need to walk in with a mindset that you are the best jumper. I also listen to motivational material. I think that you can always PR every meet.
How you expect this year's team to do?
Our team placed 6th at State. Last year we graduated a lot of seniors, with not many replacing them this year, so we are going to have a young team that needs some new leaders. My role will be to help the younger kids get better and gain confidence.
What do you do besides sports?
I have a 3.38 GPA; I play the trumpet in the senior band which holds four concerts per year; I like to go outside and do things on my farm; I lift weights; and I play Fornite; NBA2K18. This summer I know I will need to get a job to fund my trips to the USATF Junior Olympics.
Do you have any plans for after high school?
I plan to go to college, and study Kinesiology. I would like to compete in Track & Field at the D1 level for both LJ and HJ. I have communicated with Big10 schools and schools in the ACC conference.
Technical tips about the Long Jump from Ethan Heitman:
•Consistent run through
•Quick last two steps, don't want to stride them
•Keep your chest up and forward
•Get a good knee drive, have patience, and "Enjoy the flight"
Technical tips about the High Jump from Ethan Heitman:
•Need a fast and tight curve all the way throughout
•A good plant foot
•Putting these two together you can convert your horizontal velocity from your curve and turn it into a vertical velocity
•Along with the LJ you also need a good knee drive
•When going over the bar you want to be relaxed and when you feel yourself over the bar tuck your chin and that will cause your body to rotate over the bar better.
