PREP TRACK; LEAPIN' WITHERS PALMDALE TRIPLE JUMPER IS DANCING STAR, TOO.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

Desiree Withers is an accomplished tap, ballet, jazz and hip-hop dancer. In track, the Palmdale High senior has mastered the triple jump, commonly known as the hop, skip and jump.

Withers has been the Golden League's dominant triple jumper for the past two seasons and will be favored for her third league title in row in May.

``I like it because it is kind of hard and you have to have rhythm,'' Withers said. ``It's like dancing and instinct. I just can't explain it.''

Her school-record mark of 37 feet, 8 1/2 inches speaks for itself. So has her dancing, in which she has gained national acclaim as a member of the Lancaster-based Extensions Performing Arts Academy.

Last January, Withers danced on the studio's winning jazz group in a national competition in New York. In November, Withers performed with the troupe's victorious jazz and lyrical dance groups in the West Coast Dance Explosion competition in Orlando, Fla.

Highland hurdler Gina Londano, Withers' best friend, is also active with the Extensions Performing Arts Academy and danced in both award- winning competitions.

In December, Withers performed in the Antelope Valley Ballet's rendition of ``The Nutcracker.'' Between dancing year-round and track, Withers maintains a grade-point average above 4.0 and is a valedictorian candidate.

``We do a lot of leaps and jumps in dance and it helps with all the jumping out on the track,'' Withers said. ``All the dancing helps with gracefulness in track.''

The anxiety of participating in a dance competition or an important track meet are also similar.

``I get nervous before the big ones,'' Withers said.

Withers, who will compete in the Alemany/Northridge Relays on Saturday at Cal State Northridge, became involved in track and dancing at a young age. She began dancing at age 6, inspired by her mother Penny, a tap, ballet and jazz dancer, and her grandmother Betty Davis, who is a dance instructor.

The 5-foot-7 1/2 Withers started her track career in fourth grade, beginning with the sprints and working her way up to the distances in junior high.

Withers, however, did not take up the triple jump until her freshman year at Palmdale. Withers tried the high jump, an event where she has cleared 5-4 and is the defending league champion, hurdles and 800 and 1,600 meters before Palmdale coach Steve Wilson gave her tryout in the triple jump.

Wilson has all his athletes give the triple jump a whirl, but few have the coordination to excel in the technical event. Withers was one of the exceptions.

``It is the hardest event to learn and she picked it up naturally,'' Wilson said. ``She just took off .''

For Withers, the most difficult part has been juggling school, dancing and track. After track workouts, she has daily dance instruction for four to five hours. It is often 10 p.m. before she returns home to complete homework.

On weekends, Withers has had to compromise between dance rehearsals and track meets. Wilson and Withers' dance instructors do their best to work around Withers' schedule, but there are occasions when the activities conflict.

They have also taken a toll on her body. Withers has suffered from shin splints since the seventh grade. She injured her back as a cheerleader during her sophomore year from catching teammates thrust into the air. The condition is aggravated from the pounding of track and dancing.

``I think it is a combination of everything,'' Withers said. ``It gets really bad during track.''

At the moment, Withers has no intentions of giving up either discipline or scaling back her hectic schedule. She plans to attend Antelope Valley College and will continue to perform with her dance studio and compete in track.

``I am tired mostly all the time, but I am not ready to stop,'' Withers said. ``I don't want to give to quit anything I know that I can do.''

WITHERS FILE

Name: Desiree Withers

School: Palmdale

Year: Senior

Sport: Track and Field

Height: 5-7 1/2

Career highlights: Two-time Golden League triple jump champion; 1999 Golden League high jump champion; school record-holder in triple jump, 37-8 1/2

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) Desiree Withers demonstrates the graceful form that has made her an award-winning dancer and a top triple jumper.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

Box: WITHERS FILE (see text)