GALION — According to Galion athletics director Matt Tyrrell, high jumper Caden Mendiola is a “great athlete.” But an athlete who has been snake bit, as far as injuries are concerned.
“This has been a tough year for him,” Tyrell said. “He was hoping to get back for the season, but things took a little bit longer than we hoped.”
Mendiola was a regional finalist in the high jump as a junior and was looking to get to state for his senior year. But a knee injury that required surgery ended his track career for the Tigers.
Still, talent can stand out.
On Tuesday, Mendiola signed his letter of intent to continue his athletic and academic career at the University of Rio Grande.
Mendiola has suffered injuries for most of his career and has been able to overcome being sidelined.
Tyrrell said he was injured in his junior year as well, but still he competed at the highest level in the state.
“We chose to focus him as a high jumper so that his knees would hold up and he could concentrate on his main event,” Tyrrell said.
The injuries began for Mendiola in his freshman year.
“I started my freshman year but then I got injured; I only jumped 4-8 or something like that. It was really a bad season,” Mendiola said.
“I came back my sophomore year.” Mendiola added. “I’ve always had knee pain, but I ended up jumping 5-10 that season and then my junior year jumped 6-2. I was hoping to do great things this season, but I didn’t get to.”
Mendiola said that he was training hard all summer for his senior season but was injured in the very first practice of the indoor season this year.
“I was training right before that, and, sadly, my knee hyperextended backward, and I ended up breaking my kneecap and tearing my patella tendon. I had to get knee surgery,” Mendiola said.
He had the surgery in February, and the Tigers were hoping to get him back for the outdoor season this year.
“We had high hopes for him this year, but it just didn’t work out,” Tyrrell said.
Mendiola began rehabbing right after the surgery but has had some setbacks in his recovery as well.
“Once I began seeing progress, I tried to progress too fast, so it put me behind,” Mendiola said. “I’ve had some setbacks during my rehab and it’s hard being able to do all that and not being able to do it. Finally, being able to do it and then you push too hard and get put back.”
Mendiola said that rehab has been difficult, and he is still working out now.
“I didn’t have very much time to even recover,” Mendiola said. “I still got to compete a little bit. I got to go to one meet and ran but it was my very first time running. I didn’t end up doing very good.
“I’m still doing it to get stronger, I’m doing lifting,” he added. “It’s definitely tough going from having all this strength in your legs; I was able to squat about 355 (pounds).”
Mendiola said that he didn’t think he would be performing at the next level. And he doesn’t know how Rio saw him.
“I post on Instagram, I post my jumps and everything, I guess they must have seen something in me. I’m very excited,” Mendiola said. “I didn’t even think I was going to be able to get a scholarship at all, and I was probably going to come back to coach, But now I get to compete still.”