NORTH BEND — Lane Seals thrives on competition.

The North Bend senior has long been a standout in both the long jump and triple jump, and gets his biggest joy from the thrill of major meets.

Seals and Marshfield’s Caleb Kruse put on thrilling duels in the triple jump at both the Coos County Meet and Prefontaine Rotary Invitational this spring. Seals also was a standout in invitationals at Cottage Grove and Gladstone.

“He’s been a joy to coach because he comes with his A game every meet,” said North Bend head coach Steve Greif. “He wants to do as many events as he can do. It makes it fun for me to know he’s always available.”

Seals also has a rare distinction among North Bend athletes — having won state titles in two different events. He was champion in the triple jump as a sophomore and the long jump last year, and would like to add to those titles this spring.

Seals always has performed well at the state meet.

“(I like) the bigger adrenaline rush you get up there,” he said.

During football, Seals was known as a tough running back with outstanding speed. But in track, he’s always had a knack for the jumping events.

“At the junior high, the big thing used to be who could be the first guy to touch the (basketball) rim,” he said.

Seals and fellow North Bend senior Kale Forrester, who turned his focus to baseball in high school, both were outstanding high jumpers during their middle school days.

Seals kept that event in high school — he ranks in North Bend’s top 10 — but found a love for the long jump and the triple jump.

He lists the latter event as his current favorite “because I’m better at it.”

“The triple jump is treating me pretty good right now,” Seals said.

He has jumped 46 feet, 31⁄4 inches in the event this spring and has bettered 45 feet at his last five competitions.

Seals is the favorite in both the long jump and triple jump at this week’s Far West League district meet, and also could qualify for the state meet in the high jump (see story on Page B4).

Nothing Seals does in the jumps surprises Mary Abel, North Bend’s volunteer coach who teaches those events and has worked with Seals throughout his high school career.

Abel knew she had a special pupil when Seals soared 40 feet in the triple jump early his freshman season.

“It’s something you don’t normally expect as a freshman,” she said.

Seals has continued to improve because of the time he spends studying the jumping events, Abel said.

“He listens,” she said. “He absorbs. He’s a thinker.”

Seals said he has worked hard to improve through studying, as well as building up strength and speed.

“It had always been a goal of mine to become as good as I could in any event,” he said. “I’m still working on that.”

He is quick to credit Abel for her work with him.

“She’s a pretty good coach,” he said. “She’s helped me a lot.”

Abel’s biggest joy from coaching Seals hasn’t been so much seeing his success as working with him on a daily basis.

“He’s been great,” she said. “He’s just a nice person.”

This week, Seals has goals of qualifying for state in all three of his events and breaking the meet record in the triple jump, 44-7 by Siuslaw’s Andy Rodet in 1992.

Then he plans to look forward to another big state meet at Hayward Field.

“The crowd’s always nice,” he said, adding that he loves how the fans energize the jumpers. “I hope they get that clap going. I love the (rhythmic) clap.”

In his career, Seals has given fans a lot to clap for.