Petty Officer 3rd Class Kris Kornegay-Gober, a reserve member of Sector Maryland, recently competed in a U.S. pre-Olympic trial event where he came in fourth in the high jump with a jump of 6’8” against a talented field. Kornegay-Gober, a Washington, D.C., native, is training with hopes of making the U.S. Olympic Team for this summer’s Games in Tokyo.
“I started high jumping in the eighth grade because I saw a Visa commercial with Dick Fosbury high jumping,” said the athlete. “Before that I was pretty much a distance runner.”
He attended North Carolina State University, eventually earning a full scholarship, with a best jump above seven feet.
Currently, he’s serving on active duty at the Coast Guard Yard as part of the service’s supply chain, shipping millions of dollars’ worth of parts and inventory to the Coast Guard’s surface fleet.
“MST3 was part of a group of reservists that responded to a call for help when the pandemic first hit,” said James T. Morehouse, head of the Inventory Control Point at the Coast Guard Yard.
Morehouse said he lost a third of his workforce due to the health risks of the pandemic, but Kornegay-Gober and a team of reservists brought the ICP back to a pace that exceeded command expectations, with more than 96% of inventory shipping on time. He said the petty officer volunteered to accept a second set of orders keeping the ICP going, and in turn, keeping the Coast Guard running.
“I love bragging about people like him,” said Morehouse. “The joint force of civilians, active duty and reservists that work in the ICP are what makes coming into work every day enjoyable.”
Kornegay-Gober continues to train locally, as well as serve as a volunteer coach in the D.C. metro area. He’s looking forward to Olympic Trials which take place June 18-27, 2021, in Eugene, Ore., at the University of Oregon.
His reserve and active duty commands will be cheering him on.