Asa Carter jumps during a meet while wearing the Southwest Baptist uniform. Carter was a two-time All-American in the long jump while with the Bearcats.
Carson City knows Asa Carter’s athletic prowess well.
Prior to heading off to college, Carter enjoyed the clutches of multiple sports and the relentlessness of his schedule at Carson High.
His time at Southwest Baptist University was nearly identical.
There were no tough decisions about which third sport the Div. II collegiate athlete would play in the winter, but Carter kept his hands full throughout his college life.
“I have a huge time span I have to fill in now because I don’t have a sports practice every day,” laughed Carter. “I haven’t really had a lot of moments to let it sink in that I’m not competing anymore. That really hasn’t settled in yet.”
Competition seems to have been engrained in Carter.
The Carson High graduate played football and ran track throughout his time in Bolivar, Missouri.
If doubling up on athletic pursuits wasn’t enough, Carter reached the pinnacle earning All-American honors in the triple jump, twice.
“I definitely prefer track. I think it fit my personality more. I’m more of a laid back person and football is a very intense sport. I think I was better at track,” Carter said.
“I got a great opportunity to compete in two sports that I love. I got to the top level of Division II.”
The two-time all-American still credits his Carson High triple jump coach and former Olympian, Aarik Wilson, with the techniques and fundamentals that helped him reach the highest levels of Div. II.
“He taught me quite a bit about the double arm pump and basically all the technique of landing flat footed,” said Carter. “That is what got me from 44 feet to 48 feet.”
His senior year, Carter was a NCAA Div. II academic all-American selection too.
On the football field, Carter played defensive back and had the chance to lineup against a familiar face.
His brother, Abel Carter, joined the program and turned the competition notch up.
“We went up against each other a few times in practice,” said Carter. “It was a pretty fun little competition. I wouldn’t have given that up for anything.”
The siblings are very competitive, sports or not.
Abel Carter will enter his junior season next year, but his older brother is onto a new challenge.
The job realm
With his collegiate athletic pursuits in the rear view mirror, Carter graduated with a degree in accounting.
The Missouri transplant is entering a new realm.
His competition won’t be fixing their technique on the triple jump, but instead perfecting the numbers’ game.
Usually his offseason is a week long – switching from turf to the track.
Now, Carter is just trying to get feet underneath him as he transitions into a new role with an account firm in Missouri.
“It stacks up similarly. Auditing, you’re competing with other firms to try and get jobs,” said Carter. “It’s very, very similar to competition in sports.”
Sports have built Carter into who he is.
“It’s taught me a lot of skills that I am able to translate into the real world,” Carter said. “From the teamwork standpoint, time management or getting your job done. … It shows you can get anything done you put your mind to.”
