by Ryan Condon
Rising senior Carla Forbes placed first in both the long jump and the triple jump,  jumping 19 ft 9.5 in. and 42 ft 9.5 in. at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals for track and field Wednesday, June 13 through  Friday, June 15, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Nationals is held twice a year, once for indoor and once for outdoor track, according to Forbes, who competed in both this year.
The event is a competition between the best high school track athletes from across the nation.
Although this was Forbes’ first time at outdoor Nationals, her experiences from attending indoor Nationals certainly helped.
“Having been to indoor Nationals and experienced success there, it definitely set me in with more confidence,” she said.  “Outdoor Nationals was a little bit scary, but also more exciting.”
One of the main differences between outdoor and indoor Nationals, according to Forbes, is the weather.
“We had beautiful weather for most of the days, but there was some wind during both events,” she said.  “It can mess up your approach to the board, but you just have to ignore it and keep going.”
Forbes was also recently named the Gatorade Massachusetts Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year, which is awarded to students who show both athletic and academic excellence.
Going into her senior year, Forbes hopes to keep competing.
“I definitely want to go to Nationals again,” she said.  “I’ll also have room this year to explore other events.”
“This year will be more of a competition with myself, to see if I can achieve my personal goals.  I’d like to be a double champion in indoor Nationals as well.”