Redshirt senior thrower Jordan Clarke wants to make history in his last season as a Sun Devil by winning his fifth consecutive shut put national title. (Photo by Molly J. Smith)The transition from high school to adulthood for any student athlete is filled with trials and tribulations.
Each has their own personal reasoning behind their college of choice.
For ASU track and field thrower Jordan Clarke, his decision to travel over 2,500 miles from the cold Anchorage, Ala., to the dry desert of Arizona is paying dividends.
The redshirt senior is a little over a month away from not only entering himself into Sun Devil glory, but NCAA history.
Clarke has won four straight NCAA shot put championships. With just one more title, Clarke will become the second athlete in NCAA history to win five shot put titles consecutively.
To accomplish such an achievement would be the ultimate goal, the 22-year-old said.
“If I win five NCAA championships in a row, it would mean an incredible amount to me,” Clarke said. “Very few people have ever accomplished that in college, and to be one of those people would be awesome.”
Clarke may not realize that those “very few” people is just one other athlete. He does know what he’s given up to be in such a small demographic.
“I have trained really hard and sacrificed a great deal of my college experience to be the best I can possibly be,” Clarke said.
When he first came to ASU, he witnessed firsthand how sacrifice can lead to success. Determination was something passed on to Clarke as a young Sun Devil thrower.
“I had two teammates who had a significant impact on me not just as a person, but as an athlete who taught me how to train and what it takes to be successful,” Clarke said.
The two teammates Clarke referred to were former Sun Devil throwers Ryan Whiting and Jason Lewis.
Both were former NCAA champions and were iconic leaders for Clarke as he evolved into the champion he is today.
Lewis was crowned in the 2012 indoor weight throw and Whiting took home five total shot put championships during his ASU career.
After being mentored by champions for his first few years, Clarke was glad to return the favor.
“ASU has a great tradition of producing excellent throwers,” Clarke said. “So for all the younger ones, I try to lead by example and guide them by training hard and showing them what it takes to be successful.”
It's not a coincidence the Sun Devils are stocked at the throwing position. The top hurlers in the country come to ASU for one reason in particular — the coach.
Throwing coach Dave Dumble has had a particularly important impact on Clarke. Their connection started before Clarke stepped on to the ASU campus, and their bond has grown stronger over Clarke's four years at ASU.
“Coach Dumble and I have a great relationship,” Clarke said. “We have a very open communication system and work very well together. I met him when I was 16, when he started recruiting me out of high school. So over the past six years, our relationship has solidified into a great coach-athlete mesh.”
Being so far away from his home and parents in Alaska, Clarke has been fortunate to have someone like Dumble there for him no matter the circumstances.
“I can go console him about anything, not just training and throwing,” Clarke said. “He is a very supportive person.”
Their relationship is a two-way street.
Dumble doesn’t just play the role of a coach with Clarke, but is also a second father to him in Arizona.
“We both communicate very well, and we discuss many different topics regarding training,” Dumble said, “but a lot of those topics are lifestyle oriented like diet, sleep, girlfriends (and) what he does on weekends.”
Clarke is in his last season as a Sun Devil, and his relationship with his coach is very comfortable. But there's still a lot more for which Dumble has to prepare the senior.
“As Jordan matures and is trying to move on to the professional ranks, he will again move into uncharted territory,” Dumble said. “We talk about how to be successful at that level and the lifestyle choices that will help him navigate these challenges. These discussions have led to a great relationship that will last for a long time.”
(Photo Courtesy of ASU Athletics)Dumble isn’t the only family away from home for Clarke. His teammates have virtually become his brothers and sisters.
Fellow thrower and redshirt junior Anna Jelmini said Clarke is the clown of the track and field family.
“Jordan is a funny guy and will try to make you laugh most of the time,” Jelmini said. “Whether it’s messing with coach (Greg) Kraft to get everyone to laugh, or making a funny face at you as you pass by, he’ll try to get a laugh out of you.”
There is a considerable amount of leadership among the ASU track and field team, but no single athlete is seen as the voice for the entire team.
The leadership of the team is a group effort and each athlete holds themselves accountable. This allows for the team's family chemistry to grow.
Even though Clarke has bonded with his family on the team over the years, the long move away from his real family in Anchorage was a life-changing experience.
“My freshman year away from home was definitely a big adjustment, especially since Alaska and Arizona are so far away,” Clarke said. “My parents and I are really close, so we always have maintained great communication, so that has helped significantly.”
For Mike and Christine Clarke, being apart from their first born was a new experience, especially since Jordan was so far away.
“It is never easy to be separated from your child, and we have missed out on a great deal being so far away,” Mike said. “So, there is a sense of loss in that respect. However, watching his success over the years and knowing that his decision to go to ASU was the best choice for him — one that has helped him toward his goals — has been a tremendous comfort.
“He is in a good place, he has a great coach and a great group of friends and fellow athletes and he is happy. What more could a parent ask under the circumstances?”
Jordan’s decision to move from a temperature range of 8 to 53 degrees to experiencing 40 to 102 was a big concern for his family.
“When ASU became his choice, we kind of looked at each other like, ‘OK, this poor kid is going to melt,’” Mike said. “Neither of us (parents) had been to Arizona up to that point … but we were really impressed with coach Dumble, so there was a lot of positives with ASU, even then. Now, looking back, he couldn’t have made a better choice.”
Jordan doesn't regret his decision to become a Sun Devil.
“It has meant a great deal to me to be a part of the Sun Devil community,” Jordan said. “ASU is a wonderful school and place to be, and to be a part of it is truly a great feeling.”
The end of Jordan’s Sun Devil career is fast approaching.
He wants to leave Tempe on the best note possible. A fifth straight title will forever enshrine him into ASU and NCAA history.
“Being able to look back on this experience down the road will be something that I can hold on to forever and hopefully inspire many more people to chase their dreams and goals,” Jordan said.
Redshirt senior thrower Jordan Clarke keeps a tight grip on the shot put. ASU track and field has grabbed the top throwing talent around the country mainly because of throwing coach David Dumble. (Photo by Molly J. Smith)Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu and follow on Twitter at @ASUreporter_MT
