Salem’s Reynolds soars to school record high jump at KLAA meet

One tweak and countless hours of work have led to a record-setting spring for Salem high jumper Liam Reynolds.

On Saturday at the KLAA Conference Meet hosted by Hartland High School, Reynolds, a junior, cleared the bar on his first attempt at 6 feet, 8 inches, to place first and set a new Salem high jump record that had stood at 6-6.25 since 2016.

Reynolds’ PR heading into Saturday’s meet was 6 feet, 5 inches.

“It feels really good to break the school record,” Reynolds said. “And to do it at the conference meet makes it even better.”

Reynolds, who excelled for Salem’s basketball team in the winter, started high jumping at Liberty Middle School.

The ‘whim’ pays off

“I tried it kind of on a whim in seventh or eighth grade,” he said. “It looked like it would be fun so I gave it a try.

“It took me a long time to get my technique to where it is today. Honestly, I don’t think I had good form until last year.”

Salem high jump coach Tim Ahlgren said Reynolds’ work ethic and will to improve led to his record-breaking success.

“Liam is focused and he’s dedicated,” Ahlgren said. “He has the drive to keep improving.”

Accelerating PRs

Reynolds’ PR was stuck at 5-8 for the longest time, he and his coach shared.

“One day last year I saw a video that described a different high-jumping technique,” Ahlgren said. “We implemented it, and two meets later Liam cleared 6-2.”

Ahlgren said all it took for Reynolds to add six inches to his PR was a slight tweak he made when he reached across the bar.

“With this reach, it throws your head back and puts you into your arch better,” he explained.

Comfortable win

Reynolds defeated runners-up Romen Williams of Howell and Timothy Reeves of Novi, who both maxed out at 6-5.

Reynolds, the son of Marvin and Katie Reynolds of Canton, said there is a lot to love about high jumping.

“First of all, I’m a basketball player, so I’ve always loved to jump and dunk,” he said. “And setting PRs is — I am not sure what the right word is — maybe surreal. It feels so good to put in the work then see it be rewarded.”

Never a dull moment

Reynolds’ non-sports interests cover the spectrum.

“I like producing music and learning new instruments,” he said. “I also enjoy mountain biking and helping my mom with her garden.”

If his gardening measures up to his high-jumping skills, the Reynolds’ garden is ripe to grow some record-setting tomatoes.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.