The Covid-19 pandemic changed a lot of things in everyday life as well as high school athletics. We remember the stories of high school basketball players on their way to or at the front door of their state tournament games when the cancellation call came and wiped out dreams. It also took away all of the spring sports. And we’re finding that the year off had some continuing effects on those spring sports athletes as they competed this year. One of those is Hugo’s Jordan Holman. The Class of ’21 grad made her mark in basketball where she helped lead the Lady Buffaloes to the state tournament earlier in the spring. She also entered this year as the defending Class 3A state champion in the high jump but the year without competition took its toll according to Jordan.
“This was just a weird year. Everyone just seemed to be off a little at meets because of the missed season and I think the layoff got me good. I just couldn’t clear the heights I was making the year before,” said Jordan.
Jordan finished tied for second place this year with a jump of 5’2”. She also was part of the school’s 4X100 relay team that qualified for the state tournament. Her track coach, Charlotte Debo, recounted her years of watching Jordan’s success.
“She’s just got so much athletic ability and could probably do whatever she set her mind to do,” said Debo. “Her freshman year I kind of kicked myself for letting her go to a cheer boot camp the weekend before state and I think that drained her physically. Her sophomore year she won the gold medal and then, of course, we didn’t have track last year. This year the competition was a little tougher and she finished second. She’s just been a joy to coach.”
In addition to Debo, Jordan has also had her mom by her side throughout high school as her high jump coach and an assistant basketball coach. Besides athletics, Holman is on the cheer squad, is in the National Honor Society, and takes part in Youth Take Lead which is a group that does community work around Hugo. Jordan has signed to play basketball next fall at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa and says she would like to be remembered at Hugo as a girl who worked hard and never gave up.
