In the first long-jump competition of his life, 10-year-old Nathaniel Moore did what most athletes could only dream--he set a Pacific Association USA Track and Field record.

The bantam athlete from Mission Valley Track and Field of Union City jumped 15 feet 5 1/2 inches at the Junior Olympic Championships, June 24, in Livermore. The previous record, 15 feet 1 inch, was set in 2004 by Byron Marshall, who competed unattached.

The fete surprised Moore's mother, Trina Davis, even though she knew her son was competitive.

"I was shocked, because that was his first time long-jumping," Davis says. "I didn't really know he had it in him."

But Arno Brewer, Mission Valley's head coach who also works with the jumpers, says the record jump just backed his hunches.

"I figured he could jump 15 feet just by what he was doing in practice, and it usually takes a while for kids to jump well," Brewer says. "I guess what surprised me is we haven't worked a lot on the approach, and that is the most important part. If we really work, he could probably jump 17 feet."

Moore may make long-jumping look easy, but inside he's still nervous.

"There are still butterflies--it doesn't get any easier at all," he says.

At the Region 14 meet, July 8 and 9, in Livermore, Moore again broke Marshall's record by jumping 4.62 meters, equivalent to 15 feet 1.8 inches. In addition, he took first in the bantam boys 100-meter dash with 13.47 and was part of Mission Valley's bantam boys "A" 4x100-relay team that took second with 57.13.

Off the field, Moore also excels. He is an honor-roll student at Ardenwood Elementary in Fremont, where he will be a fifth grader in the fall.

If you know a Pacific Association USA Track and Field youth athlete you'd like to see profiled, contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0419 or [email protected].