| Jorgensen runs past several Emery defenders during a home game last season. This year Jorgensen looks forward to leading the team as quarterback and hopes to run the ball as much as possible in his senior year with the Dinos. |
Summer vacation is supposed to be about fun and relaxation, but for Jan Jorgensen the summer is set aside for hard work and practice.
Jorgensen will return to Carbon High this fall as a senior. During his senior year, Jorgensen will step up his game as quarterback as the Dinos compete for the state championships. “I think that we have a strong team coming in this year. There is a good chance that we will be in line for a state championship,” explained Jorgensen.
With football season beginning early on in the school year, summer practices have already begun. Jorgensen feels that the practice will allow the team to develop into a fine tuned team and prepare them for competition.
“Right now we are practicing three days a week. As the season gets closer we will start practicing harder and more often,” explained an excited Jorgensen.
Even though most of the team has practiced only with the Carbon High team, Jorgensen has had the opportunity to travel to Oregon where he participated in two summer football camps.
After completing a successful season last year with the Dinos, Jorgensen was invited to compete in the annual Nike camp. Athletes from across the country participated in the invitation only event which was held in hopes of exposing the best high school athletes in the country to college scouts.
At the camp, the athletes had the opportunity to prove their success before hundreds of talent scouts. Although no contracts were discussed, the exposure was valuable for the young athletes who will be entering their final high school season.
“There was a lot of drills and agility tests ran at the camp. I think that I surprised myself at the camp as to how well I did on my times on the runs. It was a really organized event and allowed me to be noticed by college teams. This next season will be when the colleges start noticing the improvements that the senior players have made, then scholarships will be discussed,” explained Jorgensen.
While in Oregon, Jorgensen seized the opportunity to compete in a University of Oregon camp. The camp was quite similar to the Nike camp, but gave Jorgensen a valuable experience in the sport which he loves most.
“I compete in baseball and basketball too. In fact, I am competing right now in both basketball and football camps. I am hardly ever home because I’m practicing so much, but I like it that way,” a determined Jorgensen explained.
Football is a sport that caught Jorgensen’s interest early on. By age nine he was competing in flag football and by age 11, he was competing in Little League football. The experience has proved valuable for Jorgensen who has already been offered a scholarship from the University of Utah.
“I think that the school is waiting to see how I progress this season before a definite scholarship is awarded. Other schools will do the same, then I’ll go from there,” Jorgensen said.
As far as a career in football is concerned, Jorgensen has not yet decided if he will persue the sport much past college.
“Football is my way into college. I want to compete at this level and then if the opportunity arises that I can move on to a pro career, I might just take the chance,” Jorgensen stated.
When in college Jorgensen plans to study education. “I want to be a teacher and possibly a coach. I want to be a part of a sports program. My dad has been a coach and a teacher for years, and I guess I want to follow in his footsteps.”
Sports has brought Jorgensen to the forefront of the Carbon School District’s athletic program. Although Jorgensen is usually in the spotlight as quarterback, he also enjoys playing defense.
“Playing the quarterback position requires a lot of patience where a defensive position is mostly about hitting and blocking. I think that playing defense has allowed me to become a balanced player,” explained Jorgensen.
Jorgensen’s outlook for the upcoming season is optimistic. “We have some pretty talented backs and linemen this year. This will be the backbone to our success.”
As the summer continues to heat up, Jorgensen will withstand the heat in order to improve his skills for the beginning of the football season. Besides practicing, Jorgensen continues to lift weights and compete in summer basketball camps. If the chance arises to capture some relaxation, Jorgensen will jump at this chance and prepare himself for the hard work ahead of him.
It is unknown as to where the road might take him, but one thing is for sure, Jorgensen will continue to support athletics and compete whenever given the chance.