Track & Field
Favorite athletes: Carl Lewis, Tiger Woods & Carmelo Anthony
Favorite teams: New York Knicks & Pittsburgh Steelers
Favorite memory competing in sports: My first 4x100m relay at Junior Olympics
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I was running and in the middle of my run my shoe fell off, but I still won the race
Music on playlist: My normal playlists consist of songs from far and wide, but for track & field, there is more hip-hop, R&B, Pop, and Rock & Roll music on my playlist.
Future plans: To go off to college and compete and win collegiate championships, while making money off my degree in Computer Science
Words to live by: “Trust no one, the only person who can help you do better is you.”
One goal before turning 30: Have competed at the Olympics and medalled
One thing people don’t know about me: I play guitar and I also play video games. I am also a Frisbee activist because everyone should play Frisbee, it’s good for the mind and body and can help keep one in shape.
By Craig Ostroff
Jaden Price-Whitehead has racked up countless league, state, and national accolades in his unparalleled track and field career. His goals are not simply to compete on the collegiate, Olympic, and international stages, but to excel and set world records as well.
So when competing for Upper Dublin against high school level competition that might not equal the caliber he’s seen at events such as the Junior Olympics, one might think that Price-Whitehead might not be challenged enough to compete at his highest level.
That’s never been a problem for Price-Whitehead. Because his biggest competition always remains the same.
Himself.
“There can be that barrier that some athletes hit,” Price-Whitehead said. “You might be at that level where no one can compete with you, but if you can’t still push yourself, you’re not going to grow as an athlete or a person.
“Let’s say you run 9.5 100-meter dash, best in the world. You can’t depend on others to push you, you have to imagine yourself running against the version of yourself who runs a 9.4, a 9.3. The only way to get better is by pushing yourself past where you’ve been before.”
That’s not to say that Price-Whitehead isn’t aware of the competition—odds are he’s studied them—but when you’re the guy everyone is looking to beat, you do what can to put yourself further and further out of reach of everyone else.
Price-Whitehead has mastered the art of putting himself out of the reach of others. Just a small fraction of his many accomplishments on the track include the 2020 US #1 long jump during entire indoor season (25 feet, 0 inches); the 2020 PTFCA Indoor State Long Jump Champion, and the #2 all-time Pennsylvania long jump (at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia). His personal bests are national-caliber and include that 25-footer in the long jump, 48-06.00 in the triple jump, 10.75 in the 100-meters (though he unofficially clocked a 10.40 on April 27), 22.28 in the 200-meter, 6.65 in the 55-meter, and 6.98 in the 60-meter.
He has earned national recognition as the 2020 Milesplit Best Jumping Recruit, the 2020 Runner Space Top High School Boys Performances Indoor Season (#9), and the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoor Emerging Elite Long Jump Champion. He earned the bronze medal in the 2019 AAU Junior Olympics in the long jump, is a three-time Junior Olympic triple jump medalist, and a 2017 Junior Olympic high jump medalist.
And these accomplishments barely scratch the surface of Price-Whitehead’s athletic resume.
“That mindset is something I think I’ve grown into once I became that ‘Top Dog,’ it’s something I had to earn,” said Price-Whitehead, a world-class long jumper and triple jumper who also excels in sprints. “My sophomore year, I was not that Top Dog, I was chasing a person that was above me. I wanted to get to where they were. For me, that was (Lampeter-Strasburg’s) Ezra Mellinger. As a sophomore, I thought I had it all, and he made me realize I wasn’t the best jumper. He was the one to beat. From that season on, he was my guy until I beat him and proved to myself I was the Top Dog.”
That was February 2020, when Price-Whitehead jumped 25 feet, topping Mellinger’s previous best of 24-11.5.
“When you’re chasing that Top Dog, you’re trying to get to where he’s at and understand what he’s going through and how he got there,” Price-Whitehead said. “When you’re Top Dog, the only thing pushing you is you.”
Of course, it takes a lot more than simply knowing how to push yourself. It also takes passion, relentless dedication to improving, and a whole lot of sweat.
Yet despite an unparalleled desire to improve himself, Price-Whitehead remains approachable and always willing to help a teammate. That makes him an ideal captain for the Upper Dublin track and field team. While there is no doubt that his actions in practice and during meets speak volumes about the type of athlete and leader he is, Price-Whitehead is also happy to help those chasing down the Top Dog to get a couple steps closer.
“Some guys with his stature may come in very vocal and demonstrative,” said Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Johnston. “That’s not Jaden. He’s quiet and softspoken, but people know when he’s out there, he’s the guy. He lets his abilities, his results, his competitiveness speak for themselves.
“Even though the jumps are his forté, while we’re at practice, he’s eager and he wants to help out his teammates in regards to their starts in the blocks, technique in long and triple jump. In the 4x100 relay, he helps with steps and how to receive the baton. He is definitely a team player.”
Price-Whitehead’s road to becoming the leader he is today has been a long one. He’s been able to learn from people and moments from the past that have made a difference in his development, and he’s eager to share the things he’s learned.
“The first time I was in contact with a teammate at the same level as me was Ambler Olympic Club,” he said. “There were people and coaches there who knew where I wanted to go, and the same plan I had in my heart for where I wanted to go, they put that in their hearts to get me there. School and club teams have helped me grow into a leader.
“At first, I would help people if I could, but I wasn’t very talkative, I kept to myself and focused on me. As I’ve grown, I see that if I have all this knowledge, and someone else is trying to do what I’m doing, I’m only helping myself by proving I have the knowledge and the ability to help others.”
That said, he’s not going to let his status as Top Dog go without a fight.
“In individual events, I like to say there’s fine line between teammate and competitor,” Price-Whitehead said. “You’re my teammate, and we’re both there to help the team. But at one point, you’re competing to be the best in the event, competing against one another. When you’re in competition mode and jumping, you focus on yourself, get yourself through the jumps, do what you need to do for all those things to come together for you to do your best.”
For Price-Whitehead, his best is usually enough to medal in his events. But he doesn’t simply rely on his abilities and his training. It also requires getting into the proper mindset to compete. Price-Whitehead possesses a level of confidence not often seen from high school athletes. It is an unwavering faith—that never sounds cocky or braggadocious—that the training and preparation he has put in makes him the man that everyone is chasing but no one can catch.
“The day before, maybe two days before, I’m mentally preparing for a meet or whatever I’m doing, preparing for what’s coming up, getting in the zone,” he said. “It’s all about what I need to do to beat my best. Because I’m competing against my previous bests. My mindset is that if I do everything I need to do from A to Z, no one has a chance to beat me. If I perform perfectly, my best is still better than their best.”
Among his many prestigious accomplishments, Price-Whitehead was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2019–20, despite the outdoor track season being cancelled due to COVID.
And while Price-Whitehead appreciates the gravity of such an award, he’s mature enough to know that he ultimately has no control over those types of accolades. Still, when you’re named Athlete of the Year as a junior, does that make it a goal to win it again as a senior?
“Winning that was huge to me, I really wasn’t expecting to win it all,” he said. “It’s something I can’t put into words. Being able to see it whenever I go into school, because that’s where my banner is hanging, it lets me know that everything I’ve done isn’t for nothing.
“As far as this year, I don’t worry about things like that too much. But the things I can control, what I try to do is make my own case for myself that if I perform so well, and no one else is near me, and I’m on a completely different level, how could you not pick me? But my main focus are the awards I can win that are in my own hands. I can win the gold medal in the long jump or the triple jump because that’s in my hands to do that.”
It’s also in Price-Whitehead’s hands to give back to those who have given to him. An active member of Mount Airy Church of God in Christ, where he was first introduced to track and field, Price-Whitehead remains active in church outreach and charity as a way to thank those who opened the doors to the world of track and field.
“The first time I ran track was for my church,” he said. “I’ve always had this level of respect and gratefulness for them introducing me to the sport and everything they’ve done for me. I won’t ever be able to fully repay them for introducing me to something I love that that I’ve become so good at, so I’m trying to give back everything that I can.
“I want my church to be able to keep doing what they’re doing so someone else will be able to be introduced to something they find that they’re good at. Giving back is the way I can show how much my church has helped me, so doing what I can is something I’ll always believe in.”
Under the watchful eye of his father Mike Price, the up-and-coming track star found his niche in sprints and the horizontal jumps.
“When I first started with track, I was going from event to event, and I was a distance runner at first,” Price-Whitehead said. “High jump and long jump were my two main events when I first started in middle school. In eighth grade, we had a practice where I was shown the triple jump by a high school senior, and from that point forward, knew I was becoming a jumper with the spring I naturally had.
“I also knew running is a big part of jumping, so bringing in the sprints made sense and it all worked hand in hand. As I progressed, my dad pushed me to try out new things, found ideas and events I was good at, continued to push me in those events. Early on, I’d learn by trial and error from jumping, but as I got older and me and my dad learned more, we started looking stuff up and learning what was good and bad in jumping and everything else. As I progressed, our understanding of jumping and every little detail that goes into a successful jump became better so we knew what to look for, and what I had to fix.”
In this sophomore year of high school, Price-Whitehead said he started seeing the difference between his effort’s and his competitors. Come junior year, he knew his natural abilities, work ethic, and knowledge were leading him somewhere special.
“My junior year I realized I had a different body frame, and with the power I had and the training I was doing, my numbers were different,” he said. “That’s when I realized I can do this and get far in life by doing this.”
Price-Whitehead’s abilities will take him to University of South Carolina next year, where he will pursue a degree in the computer science field. He will also have the opportunity to learn from Gamecocks’ assistant coach Dee Quarles, who coaches jumpers and is known for producing national and international level athletes.
“South Carolina’s jump program is known for helping jumpers gain another 2 feet,” Price-Whitehead said. “I believe I’m at a level where every inch matters. That’s the program that I believe will get me to where I want to be, which is to compete at the international level.”
In a few short weeks, Price-Whitehead will don his cap and gown and walk the processional, marking the end of his time at Upper Dublin.
The legacy he leaves behind will be far more than the banner that hangs in the school.
“Jaden is a very cerebral, very mature young man,” Johnston said. “He has such a level head on shoulders, the way he’s able to keep things in perspective, you can’t believe you’re talking to an 18-year-old young man. He seems so much older and wiser.
“I’m hoping the younger kids will see the dedication and the work ethic and those individuals hopefully will be able to step up and fill his shoes, though they’re going to be awfully big shoes to fill.”
Johnston also hopes the younger athletes will be able to see that you can be an elite athlete and still maintain high academic standards as well. Among his academic achievements, Price-Whitehead was named a member of the National Society of High School Scholars in 2020, was invited to join the Cardinal Key Chapter of the National Honor Society in 2019, is a multiple-time AAU Mid-Atlantic Junior All-Academic Award and All-Academic Award winner, and is an Honor Roll student whose courseload over the years has been loaded with Advanced Placement and Honors-level courses.
Price-Whitehead said he hopes he will be remembers for more than just his performances and records (he holds Upper Dublin records in the 55-meter dash [6.65 seconds], 60-meters [6.89 seconds], indoor long jump [25 feet], and indoor triple-jump [47-00.75]).
“I would love to be known as the athlete who was an absolute monster in the jumps and sprints, but more than that, I really want to be known as the teammate who was there for other people, the guy that was cheerful, always cheering teammates on, and always a team player,” he said.
And before he hangs up the cleats for Upper Dublin, he still has a few things he needs to accomplish.
“The absolutely perfect ending would be jumping 30 feet. Jumping the world record,” Price-Whitehead said. “If I’m being realistic, the perfect end would be going to states and winning long jump, triple jump, and 100 meter. Winning all my events in my last year would be something great. My junior outdoor season was taken from me, I got medals in indoor track, I need them in outdoor.”
And while that 30-foot long jump might not be quite in Price-Whitehead’s range just yet … chances are he’s got his sights set on it sometime in the very near future.
Chances are he’s already picturing the Jaden Price-Whitehead who can jump 30 feet … and working toward beating him.
