Children and jumping are a perfect match.

Only Travis Corrow didn't give it up when he grew up. Good thing, because the senior from Wasson in Colorado Springs might not have known what it's like to be the Class 5A defending state champion in the long jump.

"I became interested in the long jump when I was in the fourth grade by beating a lot of older kids in a school meet," Corrow said. "I've just loved the event since then."

Corrow leaped 23 feet, 2 1/2 inches last season to capture the title, improving on his seventh-place finish as a sophomore. He did have two better efforts during the regular season, leaping 23-4 at the Liberty Bell and Colorado Springs Metro League meets.

The only concern for Corrow now is if he will be in top condition for track. A guard on the Thunderbirds basketball team, Corrow was injured during the season and missed three games.

"I don't think it will affect my track," said Corrow, who carries a 3.98 grade-point average. "I think I should jump farther, as I've been lifting, getting faster, and I think I'm much stronger than a year ago.

"Of course, there is pressure to repeat, and, of course, I would like to repeat. But right now, I'm trying not to think about it.

"I know that (Alex) Von Hagen at Legacy is back, but I don't know a lot about who is coming back from up north. And down here, (Maurice) Blackledge at Palmer will get my attention."

Von Hagen placed second last season in the long jump, leaping 22-8 3/4, and high jump. He also is coming off a fourth-place finish in the high jump and a sixth-place finish in the long jump at the Simplot Games last month in Pocatello, Idaho.

Corrow, a 5-foot-10, 150-pounder, said his final season could bring a new look.

"I will work on the triple jump and perhaps run the open 100 (meters)," said Corrow, who also golfs for Wasson and is expected to run on the 400 and 800 relay teams. "I have not done the triple (jump) in a meet, and I haven't been timed in the 100 since eighth grade. But I'm going to give them a go."

NOTEBOOK

• Defending champion Fort Collins still will be tough to beat despite the graduation of a handful of quality athletes. But coach Pat Busteed's forces just seem to reload. The distance corps, led by Bryant Mason and Cliff Campbell, is solid again. Brian Fox and Matt Yemm are excellent sprinters who ran on the Lambkins' two-time state 400-meter relay champions. Transfer Jeff Yeh, from 4A state champion Mountain View, gives the squad added depth in the sprints. The field events will be bolstered by a now-healthy Jack Shoaf-Bunby in the long and triple jumps, and Patrick Soukup, a high jumper who placed fifth last season.

• State runner-up George Washington is considered the top contender again and could win it this time. The Patriots return sprinter Terrance McGaughy, who placed third in the 100, and David Williams, who was fifth in the 400.

The Patriots also fared well at the recent Simplot Games. McGaughy was second in the 60 meters, while teammates A.J. Whitaker and Quinton Dodson were fifth and sixth, respectively. Whitaker also placed second in the 200, nipping McGaughy.

Sophomore hurdlers Omega Cox and jumpers Joe Harris and Clayton Dahlman bolster the team's strength.

• Eaglecrest, which finished fifth at state last season, has the quality to contend for the title. The Raptors return all their point-scoring athletes, led by the Harrison twins, Antoine and Anthony. Antoine placed fourth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 last season. Anthony placed fifth in the 300 hurdles and should improve on his 11th-place finish in the triple jump.

• When it comes to leaps and bounds, Parker Smith of ThunderRidge could go head-over-heels with the best this season. Smith, a senior, was the runner-up in the pole vault last season with a 15-foot, 6-inch effort. He also finished ninth in the 110 hurdles (15.1 seconds) and this season could qualify in the 300 hurdles. He ran the 300s in 40.23 last season but did not run the event at state.

• There is a strong possibility Thornton's Marcus Felker could make a solid bid for becoming a three-sport All-Colorado selection. He has been named to the teams in football and wrestling. As the top 5A returnee in the shot put (52-3), he has the potential to pull off an All-Colorado hat trick.

• No doubt there is going to be a battle for the titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters between Grand Junction's Richard Medina, Arvada's Steven Weeks, Denver North's Joseph Manilafasha and Mike Sickafoose, who won the 1,600 meters in 4A for Pine Creek. The 5A trio finished 1-2-3 in the 3,200 last season and was not seriously challenged in the race. Weeks placed second in the 1,600, Medina fourth and Manilafasha sixth. All three already have won state cross country titles. Weeks won 5A in 2004 and 2005, Medina won 5A last season, when Manilafasha earned the 4A championship. Sickafoose also placed second in 4A in the 3,200.

• With only three returning individual event champions, Medina, Travis Corrow of Wasson in the long jump and Sickafoose, there is plenty of room on the top step of the podium. There is no shortage of returning runners-up, though. Ten return in 5A, including Legacy's Alex Von Hagen, who was second in the high and long jumps. He also finished fourth at the Simplot Games.

• Grandview could be one of the biggest surprises this season. The Wolves will be led by hurdlers Blake Bolen, who was second in the 110s last season, and Dan Drinkwalter, who was eighth. Also keep an eye on Jahmil Taylor in the jumps. Coach John Schultz believes he could be the best overall athlete in the state in track.

• Kevin Young is entering his seventh year as the head coach at Heritage. Looking back, he probably is wondering when someone from the small-school classification will break his state records in the 200 and 400. While at Temple Baptist, he set both records in 1983, running 22.24 in the 200 and 49.17 in the 400.

• The oldest records in 5A are those of Harrison's Vic White in the triple jump (51-1/4, 1973) and Todd Austin's 192-5 in the discus in 1977.