The Cal High track and field team’s high jumpers are coached by someone who knows what it’s like to clear the bar at Olympic-level heights.

James Frazier, who has coached at Cal for the past 18 seasons, competed at the University of Arizona in the late 1970s and cleared a high jump of 7 feet, 6 inches.

This was the school’s high jump record for 34 years until it was broken in 2013.

At the time of this jump, Frazier’s high jump was a conference record and ranked as the third-highest jump ever recorded by an American.

He was later inducted into University of Arizona’s Hall of Fame in 2014.

In addition to high jump, Frazier also competed in triple jump and long jump.

After his collegiate career, Frazier transitioned to coaching as a natural progression and decided to shift his focus toward work and his family.

Frazier coaches all high jump practices during the ongoing track and field season.

His success as a coach included training several podium finishers and state champions, including his own son, Noel Frazier, who graduated in 2012.

Frazier views high jump as an individual sport centered on personal performance rather than just the height cleared.

“If you’re a four-foot jumper, and if I can coach you to jump four feet four inches, I’m satisfied with that,” Frazier said. “It’s not the seven-foot jumper I’m looking for all the time.”

The philosophy is felt by fellow coaches as much as the athletes.

Coach Nicholas Shea, who coaches Cal’s distance runners and cross country, has worked alongside Frazier for seven seasons.

While Shea focuses on the track, he notes that Frazier’s presence at meets is unmistakable.

“Often when we are at a meet and he is helping run the high jump pit, he is the authority that other coaches look to for guidance,” Shea said.

A member of the varsity high jump team, junior Abaan Durrani said Frazier’s experience as an elite jumper has a direct influence on his coaching.

“It’s been great being coached by him,” Durrani said. “High jump is a really technical event, and you really need a good coach. You can see this experience reflected in his coaching, which I think is the reason our school has had many successful jumpers in the past.”

Practices often begin with approach runs and penultimate-step drills before athletes attempt full jumps.

Rather than increasing the bar rapidly, Frazier emphasizes form at manageable heights.

Several students said this controlled structure allows them to focus on mechanics without rushing their progression.

“I think the part I’ve improved on the most with [Coach Frazier] is the technical parts of the high jump,” Durrani said. “Even small improvements paved the way for much better results.”

Frazier considers the mental aspect of the sport to be the ultimate element of the sport and is the primary separator between athletes.

“I would say it’s probably 60/40 [mental/physical], to be totally honest, because technique can make up the gap,” Frazier said.

He added that high jump requires mental discipline as missed attempts are normal, so jumpers must quickly reset before the next try. Frazier reinforces persistence as part of training, encouraging athletes to treat failed attempts as a learning opportunity rather than setbacks.

“The relationships he is able to foster with his athletes is genuine, and one that cannot be simply measured on the accomplishments of his athletes alone, for which there have been many,” Shea said. “His ready smile, positive approach, and passion for the sport is something that his athletes and fellow coaches notice every day.”

Junior Ishaan Varma said that attention to detail is one of the aspects that defines Frazier’s coaching style.

“[Coach Frazier] is a really good coach and is very encouraging and he makes sure we are always improving,” Varma said. “He talks to us a lot and has a personal connection to all of us, and he really likes quality over quantity.”

Varma said that Frazier also emphasizes specific components of the jump, particularly takeoff mechanics.

“Coach Frazier has built my technique from the ground up, but most of all he improved my takeoff, which mostly includes getting my vertical, penultimate, and planting correctly,” Varma said.