Fisher graduate from Groveland fights for qualification for the Olympic high jump team
A young man who grew up in Livingston County and later graduated from St. John Fisher University is competing in Oregon this weekend to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris.
Kyle Rollins is a 25-year-old high jumper from Groveland. He is just one round away from making the team after advancing through the preliminary round in Oregon earlier this week.
After graduating from St. John Fisher University in 2022, Rollins had to juggle work and training for this competition. He would wake up at 4 a.m. to train before heading to his day job. He has several part-time jobs, as a bartender and as a coach at SUNY Geneseo.
On Sunday he will fight for his chance to be included in the Olympic team.
In an interview with News10NBC on Saturday, Rollins revealed why tomorrow may be the biggest jump of his life, but remained confident that he has prepared for everything it takes to get to the sport’s biggest stage.
“Pressure isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with, so I’m feeling pretty good,” Rollins said. “I guess just the fact that it’s such a big stage makes me a little more nervous before competing, but it’s not like I’m shaking with fear before jumping. In the past, that feeling has made me jump just a little bit higher, so I hope it works the same tomorrow and we’ll see how high I can get.”
Rollins says he will compete at 6:30 p.m. EST and the match will be televised on Peacock.
This isn’t Rollins’ first time on the big stage. During his time at Fisher, he set a program record and won two Division 3 national championships.
Someone else to keep an eye on on Sunday: Brynn King, a student at Roberts Wesleyan University, will compete in the women’s pole vault. The race can be watched Sunday at 6:15 p.m. EST on Peacock and the NBC Sports website.
Also: Be sure to attend the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which takes place in less than a month, on July 26 at 1:30 p.m. EST.
