What Is LEAP Fest? Why I Built a Jumps-Only Track Meet

LEAP Fest is a track meet with no running events. It's only jumps. I built it because for most of my career, the jumps were an afterthought, and I wanted jumpers to finally have their own stage.

Here's why I started it, what it's like to be there, and why I think every jumper should come at least once, whether you're competing or just watching.

Why I created a jumps-only track meet

I was a triple jumper and a hurdler in college. When I ran hurdles, I was center stage. It was the only event happening at that moment, and it was fun to be part of. When I triple jumped, it was always off to the side, on the side of the track or behind the bleachers.

I'd watch jumpers who were really talented, really explosive, and having a lot of fun, and I'd think, "It'd be great for everyone to see this." But we were off the track where nobody was watching.

So I asked myself, why not create a track meet that doesn't have the running events? A meet built around the jumps, where the crowd sits close enough to spectate from a courtside seat, so to speak.

My own career played into it too. I competed at indoor and outdoor nationals, and when I went back to look for film or pictures of my jumps, I couldn't find any. Maybe one picture. That stuck with me. I wanted to give jumpers the kind of stage I think the jumps deserve.

What makes LEAP Fest different

You're close to everything

At most meets, college coaches are up in the stands, 20, 30, 40 meters away from you. At LEAP Fest, coaches are within hearing and talking distance. That lets you show who you are: your personality, how you interact with your coach, how you move around, whether you're doing your warmups correctly.

It also means you feel the pressure. Athletes, coaches and spectators are right there watching you jump. That's a good thing to learn how to handle.

It's not about hitting a mark

Honestly, I don't care too much about athletes hitting certain marks at LEAP Fest. It's early in the season. You don't have to jump a world record for a coach to see your potential. Coaches know what talent looks like.

What I care about is the connections. We've had state champions from different states and even international athletes at the same meet. A lot of times these athletes don't even know each other. At LEAP Fest, they meet, exchange information and make friends.

It brings the jumps community together

Pole vault is about as close a community as you'll find in track and field. The throws community is close too. I don't feel like we in the jumps have always been as close. LEAP Fest is my way of bringing the jumpers together and growing that community.

Why you should come, at any level

It doesn't matter how good you are. If you're trying long jump or high jump for the first time, LEAP Fest is the place to try it. You'll see someone exactly your age jumping and trying things out for the first time. Then, once your event is over, you'll see the top high school jumpers, and after that, top professional jumpers.

In 2019, members of the USA jumps team came out. Athletes were warming up, turned around, and saw them standing right next to them. They couldn't believe their eyes. That's the kind of experience I want every jumper to have.

Don't compare yourself

This is the piece I always want young athletes to hear. You're going to start wherever you start.

I didn't start triple jump and long jump until I was 13 or 14 in high school. I didn't really learn the actual triple jump until my sophomore year in college. So take your time. Each year, focus on one aspect and keep developing. The pros and the top high schoolers were exactly where you are at one point in time.

What parents can do

1. Bring your jumper, even if they're brand new. First-timers belong here. They'll see athletes their age and athletes far ahead of them in the same day.
2. Treat it as a networking day, not a test. Don't measure the day by the mark. Measure it by who your athlete met and what they saw.
3. Connect with other parents. You get to meet parents who are in the same situation you are.
4. Let coaches see the whole athlete. Encourage your jumper to warm up well, communicate with their coach and be themselves. Coaches are close enough to notice.
5. Come as a spectator if you're not competing. Watching the top high school and professional jumpers from a courtside seat teaches a lot.

LEAP Fest '27

LEAP Fest '27 is on Saturday, January 9, 2027. Spectators get in free, and high jump is a contested event alongside the long jump and triple jump. To learn more, visit leapfestshowcase.com and follow @leapfestshowcase on Instagram.

LEAP stands for Lead, Elevate, Achieve and Prevail. When people hear "LEAP Fest," I want them to think fun, creativity, inspiration, and being different.

Need a plan built around your jumper?

A big meet like LEAP Fest shows you where your jumper is right now. What they do with that information the rest of the year is what moves the mark, and that's what we build together in Jump Lab Academy, one piece at a time.

Book a free Jump Lab strategy session here.

Coach Keinan Briggs is a former professional triple jumper and 6th-place finisher at the 2011 USA Indoor Championships. He has coached jumpers since 2003.