A man for all seasons

Whenever Eastview competed against his Rosemount track and field team this spring, Irish coach Jay Hatleli wandered toward the high jump pit and admired a rival athlete.

Franky Veldman, the state's most versatile jumper, has that effect on people. Two years ago he became the 12th male to earn all-state honors in all three jump events: high, long and triple. He helped the Lightning reach the Class 4A basketball tournament as a junior and last fall drew consideration for Metro Player of the Year in football. Veldman, a senior, will play safety for North Dakota State's football team.

He just might be remembered as one of the best all-around athletes the state has produced in a long time.

But a state championship has eluded him in all three sports, something he's hoping to erase by again qualifying for state in all three jump events and this time bringing home a first-place finish.

"I've been to state a total of seven times and leaving with nothing is kind of disappointing," Veldman said. "It's been my goal ever since freshman year and I'm still going for it."

Reaching the state meet will require Veldman to qualify at the Class 2A, Section 3 meet Tuesday and Thursday at the University of St. Thomas. His ability to hit the jumps trifecta the past two seasons impressed his jump coach, Mark Tollefson.

"I have coached track and field for 25 years and had many all-state jumpers," Tollefson said. "Franky Veldman is the best all-around high school jumper I have coached."

"I like doing everything," Veldman said. "I hate when people focus on one sport or one event. If you're doing more events, you're having more fun."

The versatility also earns him respect. Hatleli, who took all-state honors in the long and triple jumps as a senior at Lanesboro, knows the three events each come with unique demands.

"There are probably more guys with the skills to do all three," Hatleli said. "But actually doing it is a separate animal. Those are three of the more technical events and you have to be smart about practicing because you can jump yourself into submission."

Veldman is as well-versed in injuries as he is jumps. A collapsed lung forced him into the hospital twice as a freshman. The second time he would have died if not for his mother, Michelle, a nurse, who noticed his breathing dropped to about five breaths per minute. A foot injury hampered Veldman's sophomore basketball and track and field seasons. And as a junior, Veldman dislocated his shoulder twice during the football season.

Still, the highlights kept coming. As a sophomore he finished all-state in the three jump events. A lefthanded alley-oop dunk in Eastview's state tournament loss to Henry Sibley was "the highlight of my whole junior year," he said. Also, he developed into a multipurpose threat on the football field, punting, catching passes and tackling ball carriers with equal aplomb.

This year could provide the best ending yet. Veldman added 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-4 frame, growth that helped him get through his first high school year without major injury.

Veldman will need to be at his best against fellow jumpers from the Class of 2012. Trevor Yedoni of Benilde-St. Margaret's has cleared 7 feet in the high jump and Mike Sandle of Eden Prairie has gone 50 feet in the triple jump. Both of them compete in the long jump and will attempt to unseat defending champion Rumeal Harris of Eden Prairie.

Where does Veldman view himself among that accomplished group?