It had been a dream of his since he was a sophomore in high school.

Darrin Plab not only wanted to go to the Olympic Games, he wanted to win a medal, but his dream for a medal was almost cut short by a near fatal accident.

Earning a spot to compete in the Olympic trials was an athletic high for Plab of Mascoutah, a former standout high jumper for SIUC.

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Plab, whose best jump ever is 7-8 1/2, was playing baseball his freshman year in high school. He did not start participating in track and field until he was a sophomore at Mascoutah High School.

Plab went on to earn a position on the 1992 U. S. Olympic team as one of only three high jumpersthe best of the best.

He did not win a medal, however, something every Olympic athlete wants to win, but he did come home with the experience of having been a part of an event some people can only dream about.

In 1992, I made the Olympic team and I really didn’t walk away with my head held up high like I expected to, Plab said. I expected to win a medal. There’s a spot in my heart that’s still open. I want to win a medal. I have the ability to do it, it’s just a matter of finishing what I start.

Plab proved after the 1992 Olympics that the word quit was not in his vocabulary.

After the Olympics, Plab wanted to get away from track, so he started playing basketball to get his mind off track. Basketball wasn’t very kind to Plab though, as he suffered a serious head injury during a game which landed him in the hospital for several days.

Plab suffered two skull fractures, a blood clot, and swelling of the brain.

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There was a period of four or five days where they (the doctors) didn’t know which way I was going to go, Plab said. I could have died for all I know.

A quick recovery allowed him to start walking the day after he was released from the hospital.

I was out jumping four months later at Carbondale and from landing on the mat I did get dizzy, so I knew it was too soon for me to be landing on my head, he said.

The twenty-five year old Plab said the only thing that would stop him from accomplishing that goal would be his mind.

If I felt like physically I couldn’t do it, I would probably quit tomorrow, Plab said. I think physically I have it in me, it’s just a matter of believing in myself and having the confidence to go out there and do it.

Plab said one thing his accident did make him realize was what he did have when he made the Olympic team.

Winning a medal is a goal of his, but he said every time he goes out to a track meet he wants to feel good about his performance and he said that high expectations really motivate him.

That (high expectations) is what kept me going for so many years, Plab said.

Expectations can sometimes tear me apart. When you don’t meet your expectations it’s frustrating. That’s where I’ve been the last two years with track because I haven’t reached my goal.

Plab explained that it is hard to speculate about the Olympics and qualifying jumps because he said high jumpers jump out of their minds when it comes to the Olympic trials.

Back in 92 everyone thought 7-6 1/2 would make the Olympic team for sure and it didn’t make the team, Plab said. You had to jump 7-7 1/4 just to make the Olympic team and that was third place.

Whoever shows up and does well at the Olympic trials is going to go (to the Olympics).

The former standout Saluki offered a hint of what it would take for him to be an Olympian again.

I might wake up one day and only jump 7 foot and then I could come back four days later and jump 7-6 or 7-8, and I’ve done it, Plab said. It’s a mental challenge. I’ve got to be in the right frame of mind and that’s going to be my key, no doubt about it.

Back in 92 I had no pressure on me, I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Now I’ve got everything to prove and everything to lose. Ever since I made the Olympic team, I’ve been a changed person mentally.

Plab said he would not be hanging his high jumping shoes up if he did not win a medal or even get to the trials.

I’m only twenty-five and there are people high jumping at thirty years old, so I never count anything out, he said. If I don’t win a medal, there will be a spot in my heart that’s left empty, but that’s not the end of life.

Plab said he might consider coaching after his high jumping days are over, though.

I think I could help a lot of kids, Plab said. One thing about going to the Olympics is you have an up on other coaches because they (kids) respect the word Olympian. I’m not saying I know a lot more than other people, but I feel I have been through a little more than some coaches.

Coach Giesler (SIUC assistant track and field coach) was one guy that really understood me when I was at SIUC. He pretty much understands me. I’m my own worst enemy. A lot of coaches only see the conditioning part, and they forget about the mental aspect, he said.

Plab gave much credit to SIUC men’s track and field coach Bill Cornell. Cornell has been real good to me. He’s a good guy, said Plab.

Jerry Jones, track and field coach at Mascoutah High School who came to Mascoutah during the 1986-87 season said he learned the ins and outs of high jumping while coaching Plab.

It (coaching Plab) helped me out a lot, and I learned right along with him, said Jones.

I think he discovered that he had excellent jumping ability when he started playing basketball. He could slam dunk a basketball when he was a freshman in high school, said Jones. He should be proud of what he’s already accomplished.