New record holder says it’s ‘cool’ to be in same category as Kaiser

    Cody Williams has taken down another Chase County Schools track record.
    At last Thursday’s Sutherland Invitational, the CCS senior broke a 15-year-old high jump record held by one of Chase County’s top athletes over the years, Ed Kaiser.
    Williams’ jump of 6’9 1/2” not only took down the CCS record Kaiser owned at 6’9”, but broke the Sutherland meet record of 6’9”, as well.
    After getting over the bar at Sutherland in one attempt at 5’8”, 5’10”, 6’ and 6’2”, he then went to 6’6”, clearing that on one jump, too.
    The bar then was raised to 6’9 1/2.” The new records came on his second attempt.
    The CCS senior said he knew he was too far out on his first attempt at 6’9 1/2”, admitting he was a bit nervous. He said high jumping is such a mental thing.
    “But, I knew I’d clear it the second or third try,” he said.
    He was well aware of what he had to beat to set the CCS high jump record.
    “It’s cool to be in the same category as Ed Kaiser, and that  elite standard,” he said.
    Kaiser was a two-time all-class gold medal winner at the state track meet his junior and senior years. He was a junior in 2002 when he set the school record at 6’9”, but held on to be the best in all classes the following year at state, too, when he jumped 6’8” as a senior in 2003.
    Williams also broke a 60-year-old CCS long jump record last year from 1956 when he jumped 21’8” at the SPVA Conference meet in Imperial, and has eyes on setting a CCS triple jump record this year, too.
    Williams said he’s had a goal since his freshman year to break all three CCS jump records—the long, triple and high.
    With last week’s high jump performance, he has just one more on the list.
    Interestingly, the CCS triple jump record is held by Ed Kaiser’s older brother, Luke, who went 43’7 3/4” as a senior in 1999.
    Boys Track Coach Carl Zuege said Williams also had a very good attempt on his third try at 6’11” last week in Sutherland. He was over the bar but hit his heel on the descent.

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