LA CROSSE — Wylder Burch just starting competing in the high jump last year.
It seemed like an interesting event, and he enjoyed quick success, so he stuck with it.
The Onalaska High School freshman received his first chance to compete on the sports’s biggest stage in Wisconsin on Friday, and he made sure to take advantage of the opportunity with a third-place finish and the best jump of his career.
Burch cleared 6 feet, 6 inches and was beaten only by junior champion Aiden Dykstra (6-9) of Germantown and senior runner-up John Kubisch (6-8) of Hartland Arrowhead i the Division 1 competition of the WIAA state track and field meet.
Burch was the only freshman among the top 13 and one of three that qualified.
He established himself immediately by clearing both 6 feet and 6-2 on his first attempt.
“I was excited and confident,” Burch said after accepting his award on the medal stand at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. “I wouldn’t say I was very nervous.”
Burch was one of six qualifiers who successfully cleared 6-4 during sectional competition, and nine competitors came in with a better sectional performance.
Burch missed his first attempt at 6-4 but made his second. He then advanced on his first try at 6-6 before missing all three at 6-8.
The consistency in his job, he said, was easy to find.
“My approach,” Burch said. “I had to get more consistent with it, which helped me a lot.”
