The only thing stopping Kickapoo senior Taylor Mayo from competing in more events is the rulebook. “If we could do six events she’d be in six events,” said Kickapoo Head Track Coach Jeremy Goddard.
This all-time Kickapoo great is limited to just four events per meet and the future Kansas Jayhawk has thought about what it would be like to do more.
“It would just be so much,” said Mayo with a laugh. “I don’t know if I’d want to.”
Back during her freshman year, which was eventually canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Taylor was transitioning from gymnastics to track and field. At first, she wanted to trade the pommel horse for hurdles. “Just being a gymnast for most of my life those events were just natural to me,” Taylor said.
“She wanted to do the hurdles and we were like, ‘OK what do we take you out of?'” Goddard said. “You’re a state medalist in almost every event we’ve got you in.”
She was also dominant in the 400-meter dash, one of track’s most grueling events.
“She can do anything,” Goddard said. “She could be a half-miler if she wanted to. But the 400 took so much out of her that it cost her a bit in some of those other events.”
So instead Taylor uses those gymnastics skills in the long jump and triple jump where she holds the school records. Still, she says breaking school records with the Lady Chiefs 4×100 and 4×200 meter teams means even more.
“Getting to break those records with my teammates is more important and more special than any individual record ever could be,” she said. “I love these girls.”
Her coach isn’t surprised she jumped to that conclusion.
“She’s very humble,” Goddard said. “She’s not bragging. She’s not loud. She’s not someone you have to manage. She just shows up, does her work, says, ‘Thank you,’ and then walks out with the medals.”
And walking off having set a new standard for future Chiefs to try and live up to.
