This cache is placed in a cemetery - remember to be respectful and obey all laws while visiting. Michigan law prohibits entry into any cemetery between dusk and dawn.
This cache series is a celebration of the USA's victories in the 2012 London Olympics. Each cache will be named after gold medal winning athletes/teams or noteworthy accomplishments.
The thirty seventh cache in the series celebrates Christian Taylor's gold winning performance in the Men's Triple Jump Competition.
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a "hop, bound and jump": the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump has its origins in the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games' inception in 1896. The triple jump, or at least a variant involving three jumps one after the other, has its roots in the Ancient Greek Olympics, with records showing athletes attaining distances of more than 50 feet.
The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the triple jump is measured. The takeoff mark is commonly a physical piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway, or a rectangle painted on the runway surface. In modern championships a strip of plasticine, tape, or modeling clay is attached to the far edge of the board to record athletes overstepping or "scratching" the mark, defined by the trailing edge of the board. There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "bound" or "step" phase, and the "jump" phase. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence.
The hop starts with the athlete jumping from the take off board on one leg, which for descriptive purposes will be the right leg (note that in the above photograph of Phillips Idowu, the hop starts with the left leg). The objective of the first phase is to hop out, focusing all momentum forward. The hop landing phase is very active, involving a powerful backward "pawing" action of the right leg, with the right take-off foot landing heel first on the runway. The hop landing also marks the beginning of the step phase, where the athlete utilises the backward momentum of the right leg to immediately execute a powerful jump forwards and upwards, the left leg assisting the take-off with a powerful hip flexion thrust. This leads to the familiar triple jump mid-air position, with the right take off leg trailing flexed at the knee, and the left leg now leading flexed at the hip and knee. The jumper then holds this position for as long as possible, before extending the knee of the leading left leg and then immediately beginning a powerful backward motion of the whole left leg, again landing on the runway with a powerful pawing action. The step landing forms the beginning of the take-off of the final phase (the jump), where the athlete utilises the backward force from the left leg to take off again. The jump phase is very similar to the long jump although most athletes have lost too much speed by this time to manage a full hitch kick, and most use a hang or sail technique. When landing in the sand-filled pit, the jumper should aim to avoid sitting back on landing, or placing either hand behind the feet. The sand pit usually begins 13m from the take off board for male international competition, or 11m from the board for international female and club-level male competition. Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher, and there should be a regular rhythm to the 3 landings.
A "foul", also known as a "scratch," or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark, misses the pit entirely, does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases, or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time (usually about 90 seconds). When a jumper "scratches," the seated official will raise a red flag and the jumper who was "on deck," or up next, prepares to jump.
The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain, with a jump of 18.29 meters, and Inessa Kravets of Ukraine, with a jump of 15.50 meters. Both records were set during 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. At the London games, Christian won the gold with a distance of 17.81 m.
Congratulations to Christian Taylor, Olympic champion!
This is a pill bottle hidden in a standard way but may be difficult to reach for some. Please be sure to rehide as good or better than you find it so the cache will remain hidden and in place. There could be mourning muggles around at any time so remember to be respectful and give them the right of way. There is no need to disrupt or search any headstones or gravesites.
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