Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: St. Charles North’s Nathan McLoughlin, track and field, senior

Name: Nathan McLoughlin

Sport: Track and field

Why he was selected: At the DuKane Boys Indoor Conference Championships, McLoughlin cleared 4.72 meters (15 feet, 6 inches) in the pole vault to win the event and break the conference’s indoor record.

McLoughlin was selected the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here is his Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

What was the feeling of going back-to-back as an indoor conference champion?

McLoughlin: I think personally it feels pretty good. I didn’t know I was going to get the meet record there. I just went in there to get the job done and jump what I need to win.

What was your mindset heading into the meet?

McLoughlin: I was just going there to see what would happen. I had injured my ankle during jumps on that Monday, so I was going to see what would happen and just playing around with where I left off. And while I’m not thrilled with the height, it definitely was a lot cleaner technical jump compared to when I cleared 16 feet.

You cleared 4.88 meters (16 feet) for the first time a couple of weeks before. What was the feeling of achieving that?

McLoughlin: It was like a long time coming, like a glass barrier. I would get so close and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get there. And finally this year, I wasn’t even worried about technique on that jump. I just grabbed a bigger pole I had never used before and committed to it. I did not think I was going to clear that bar, but it worked. And the good thing about the jump being so bad is it leaves so much room for potential on the table.

What are your goals for the upcoming outdoor season?

McLoughlin: Because it’s still indoor, I’m getting back to the way things are working. I ended my wrestling season early because I did something to my oblique and I couldn’t really jump in the first few meets of the season because of it. I’m also starting closer than I was last year. But I’m looking forward to moving further back when I get to outdoor so I can just see the potential that I have that I haven’t seen. I definitely know that 16 feet is not the height I will end the season with. I will definitely be going much farther.

Do you have any superstitions?

McLoughlin: I did last year, but I’ve been working of getting rid of those. The one thing that I still do is I’ll tie my shoe a lot because if it’s even slightly loose, it messes with my head.

If you had to do any other track and field event, which one would you do?

McLoughlin: I was considering doing throws this year, but I don’t think I can handle it mentally. I’d also want to try hurdles, but I know I wouldn’t have the technique for it. I’d end up just jumping really high over it and just being really slow with the time.