By Michael Jason Lee
Anita Jakelic has come a long way -- literally and figuratively.
Just over three years ago, Jakelic was trapped in a nightmare. A native of Zagreb, Croatia, her country was engulfed in a brutal war that had devastating effects on the entire nation. Destruction, bombings and death were commonplace, as citizens lived in constant fear of what the next day might bring.
With the assistance of her older brother, Davor, Jakelic was able to escape the horrors of her homeland. Davor, who already was attending Cornell and was a member of the varsity track team, convinced his sister to pursue her education in America.
"My country was in a war for two years," Jakelic said. "I just applied to Cornell because I wanted to escape from my country."
Adjusting to the new environment proved difficult for Jakelic, in part because of her rudimentary understanding of English and the unfamiliar surroundings.
"I didn't know anything about Cornell, how good of a school it was or even what I was going to find here," the junior economics major recalled. "I just kind of figured that I had to be here for four years."
Despite her misgivings, Jakelic quickly carved herself a niche on the Cornell women's track team. In her first year on the squad, she shattered both the indoor and outdoor freshman record for the triple jump.
Jakelic worked closely with assistant track coach Rich Bowman to improve her jumping technique. Ironically, Jakelic's unique background led her to play the roles of student and teacher.
"The coaches gets more educated and learn more by working with a
foreign athlete than they do with athletes in the states that are doing the same things to
get better," Bowman said. "Anita has educated me in a lot of ways and made me
a better coach by showing me some things
they do over in Europe."
Jakelic's performance improved markedly in her sophomore season, as her diligent training reaped a record-breaking year.
During the indoor season, she placed first at the Heptagonal championships in the triple jump and finished third at the Eastern College Athletic Conference with an NCAA qualifying and school record leap of 41-1 3/4. Outdoors, she established a school record in the triple jump by leaping 40-2 3/4 at the Irvine Invitational and won the long jump at the Heps with a personal best of 18-4 1/2.
Strategic training adjustments were implemented before her junior year that would enable Jakelic to "peak" at crucial season-ending meets.
"Last year I would start working really hard in the beginning of the year in November and December, and by the time January came I slowed down," Jakelic said, noting that she peaked earlier in the season than she had hoped to. "This year, we did it the other way around. We worked a little bit less at the beginning and then started building in February and March and then slowed down in April."
Unfortunately, the new training method did not lead to the desired results, as Jakelic struggled through her junior season and was unable to sustain her success. She garnered her lone first-place finishes in the triple jump and long jump at the Sea Ray Relays (April 13) and the triple jump against Penn on April 20.
Despite her performance on the track, Bowman recognizes that Jakelic has excelled in other equally important endeavors.
"It's always tough when a foreign athlete comes to a new country and adjusts, and Anita has done that well," said the 16-year track mentor. "She has had a lot of tough things that went on in her background with her country being torn apart with strife. She has been able to find a safe haven over here and do what she needs to do to grow and prosper.
"She has shown everyone that no matter how hard it is, you can always find a way to succeed," he said.
Jakelic values the freedoms offered to her in America, freedoms not available to students in her homeland.
"Cornell has so much opportunity. You can do whatever you want
here, like selecting the subjects you want to study and choosing your own
major," she said. "There's nobody to say
you
have to do this or that, or if you don't feel well, no one's going to make
you practice anyway. In my country, you can't skip practice, you have to do
whatever they want you to do."
The improved conditions in her homeland, coupled with a successful transition to America, have led Jakelic to re-evaluate her feelings for Cornell.
"I realize that this is the place I want to be. I no longer feel I am here because I have to be," she said. "I am really enjoying myself and realize how much I missed my freshman year."
Clearly, Jakelic has come a long way.