The freshman sprinter and jumper is training for the decathlon.
Nick Adcock thought he was joining the Missouri track and field team to do high jump and to run sprints and hurdles, but jumps coach Dan Leferver had a different idea.
“Obviously I recruited him to be a decathlete,” Leferver said.
Leferver said that he recruited Adcock in the hurdles and the high jump, but because of the Big 12 Conference’s strength in those events, Leferver pushed Adcock toward the decathlon.
“I knew he had to come to the decision on his own,” Leferver said. “So I had him try the long jump.”
After Adcock tried a few events he started to enjoy the experience.
“Coaches thought I’d be good at it (the decathlon) and I started to like it.”
Adcock competed in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles, the 400-meters, 4 x 400 relay and the high jump in high school and Leferver saw his promise in those events.
“You know he can run well,” Leferver said. “High jump is a weak event for most decathletes. Nick is clearing 6-foot-9 as a freshman.”
Adcock said his best event is the 110-meter hurdles and his skill in the hurdles and high jump gave him an advantage as a freshman.
“Hurdles and high jump are difficult events for a multi-event athlete,” he said.
Leferver also saw Adcock’s slender 6-foot-3 frame as an advantage. In throwing events, his long arms gave him a good angle of his release, and in the pole vault it improved his leverage.
As a freshman, though, Adcock had to learn six new events to compete in the decathlon. Some events were easier based on Adcock’s experience. The 100 meters comes naturally with Adcock’s background in sprinting, and the long jump relies on Adcock’s experience in the high jump. Both events involve speed, power and similar technical mechanics. However, Adcock never touched a javelin until this fall and didn’t throw a discus until two weeks ago.
Adcock said that the hardest event for him to learn was the pole vault.
“It’s a very difficult sport to pick up,” he said. ”Your pretty much thrusting yourself upside down on a pole.”
Adcock competed in the decathlon for the first time in wind and rain last weekend at the Jim Click Combined Events meet in Tucson. Ariz, placing second behind Oregon’s Ashton Eaton with 6,612 points.
“With the weather conditions it went well,” Adcock said. “In a couple of events I didn’t do as well as usual.”
Adcock says he is unfamiliar with the 1500.
“In high school all I ran was the 400, so doing more than a lap was a new experience for me,” he said.
However, Leferver says Adcock will eventually thrive in the 1500.
“The 1500 is a weird event, because it’s the only distance race in the decathlon,” he said. “Nick is already a good runner and will only improve.”
Adcock said the hardest part about the decathlon is the limited amount of time between events. After one event, decathletes have about 30 minutes to prepare for the next.
“One of the major focuses is if you did crappy in one event, you have to forget about it and move on to the next event,” he said.
Leferver also said it can be frustrating for decathletes to perform badly in certain events.
“Great athletes don’t like to not be very good at a particular skill,” he said. “There’s a patience to develop those areas to become better.”
Leferver said that so far Adcock has had some beginner’s luck.
“He’s great with patience,” he said. “He’s doing so many events that are new that he hasn’t had time to rush it.”