By Joey Johnston
When USF men's track and field All-American Romaine Beckford stays in a new hotel, before drifting off to sleep, he likes to disappear by himself and head to the rooftop.
"Just so I can see how high up I am and check out all the sights,'' Beckford said. "When you're up in the air, the world looks different.''
Beckford, a native of Portland, Jamaica, should know.
He's the USF record-holder in the high jump (2.23 meters / 7 feet, 3.75 inches outdoor; 2.22 meters / 7 feet 3.25 inches indoor) and a favorite to defend his title in this weekend's American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Birmingham, Ala. Last season, he swept the AAC's indoor and outdoor titles, while finishing 15th in the national indoors and 13th in the national outdoors.
How high can Beckford fly?
"I put no limits on him, I really don't,'' USF track and field coach Erik Jenkins said. "I believe he's a contender to win the NCAA title in his event and I believe he's a contender to represent his country in 2024 (Olympic Games in Paris). He's still so young in this sport that I think so many good years are ahead of him. I don't think he's even close to realizing his potential.''
Jenkins was obviously attracted to Beckford, the national junior-college high-jump champion at South Plains Community College, but has been even more delighted in witnessing first-hand the athlete's work ethic and athleticism.
Just wait until Beckford finds his stride.
"Back home, it was mostly about sprinters and runners, not so much about the jumpers,'' said Beckford (6-foot-5, 190 pounds), who competes in other track and field events with notable performances in the javelin, but confirms that he's made for the high jump. "The coaches I had, they gave me their knowledge and I think I can almost coach myself. I think I got good at it because of my determination. And I know where I want to go.''
Everyone nearby can hear that determination — literally.
Jenkins said many high-jumpers are light on the feet, quiet floaters. Beckford is noisy. His plant foot comes down hard — by design — and that's where the power is generated.
"This guy is not a butterfly,'' Jenkins said. "You're going to feel his presence. You're going to hear him. He's not a little guy. He has some size to him that he needs to get lifted in the air.
"He's a power jumper, plain and simple, not a guy who's going to get off the ground so easily. But he has such excellent kinesthetic awareness for a guy his size. He knows where he is in space and can adjust. When he's up there, none of it is by accident. He knows exactly what he's doing.''
Beckford said shortly after he drives off his plant food, he knows whether his jump will be effective. After the initial power move, it's about coordination, muscle memory and making sure he's carried over the bar by the natural curve of his body.
"I love the feeling of you not feeling gravity,'' Beckford said. "Just that split-second of going up, that incredible feeling. When you hit the peak point, the gravity is pulling you down. I like the feeling of going up. Nothing is on my mind and I don't hear anything. It's like I'm completely free.
"I naturally like heights and I'm kind of adventurous. So I think the high-jumping event fits me pretty well.''
Beckford weighed about 225 at South Plains, but has lost nearly 30 pounds by "starving myself.'' Getting in better shape has made a huge difference in his results. In junior college, they knew him by name at the drive-thru windows. Now he mostly cooks for himself, usually rice-and-beans dishes from his native land.
He likes Tampa's pace, even though it's much different than his Jamaican hometown, where the beach is a five-minute walk away, wildlife and fruit trees are all around and waterfalls drop into rivers with "the bluest water you'll ever see.''
He's still adjusting to American slang. During his first week at USF, a teammate told him "he was green,'' meaning inexperienced.
"In Jamaica, if you say someone is 'green,' it means they smell bad,'' Beckford said. "In Jamaica, if you're walking past somebody you don't know, you don't really smile at them. Here people smile and say, 'What's up?' That was new to me. So I look up a lot of stuff on Google. The way I talk seems fast to some people and I don't understand what some people mean, but I'm constantly working at it.
"I'm here because I'm able to get an education and have the best competition, so it's a great experience for me. I hope to keep getting better and better, so when I leave here, the final numbers will be very good.''
How high can he fly?
About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has earned 53 All-America selections and at least one All-American in 10 of the last 12 years, including a record eight athletes claiming 11 honors in 2021. Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin set a program record earning three All-American honors during the 2021 outdoor season, while triple jumper Matthew O'Neal, a 2016 graduate, became USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. Bulls have posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 - O'Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). Head coach Erik Jenkins took over the program in 2020 and in the 2021 outdoor season the Bulls posted seven program records and 40 top 10 all-time program marks. USF hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary and the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championship at the USF Track and Field Stadium located on the east end of campus.
– #GoBulls –
