North Babylon's Charles not just one of the guys

In a sea of runners and throwers of varying abilities, North Babylon's Befrantz Charles does not stand out from the crowd. He blends in with his teammates, just another athlete looking to test his physical limits.

The law of gravity, however, is the only thing that binds Charles' physical limits.

On Friday night he broke the St. Anthony's Invitational meet record in the long jump, hurling himself 24 feet, 51/2 inches.

After a performance like that, people take notice. That seems like the last thing Charles is looking for.

"I'm not looking for the limelight," Charles said. "[Coach Tom Duffy] wants me to be captain of the team, but I just want to be normal like the other kids."

Charles understands his physical gifts, yet his low-key persona does not jell with the archetype of the typical superstar.

"I was never raised to think I'm better than anyone else," Charles said. "My parents and grandma told me that everybody is equal. Some people are just better at certain things."

But at the same time, he seems to relish his success on the track. Buried below his soft-spoken nature is the desire to dominate the state long jump scene. That desire is at the heart of his success.

"He likes being the best," Duffy said. "That's what he wants. He wants to be number one."

In his last season on the track, Charles is seeking to etch his name into the record books. The state high school long jump record (25-3½), set by 1968 Olympic gold medalist Bob Beamon of Jamaica High in 1965, is in Charles' sites.

"I'm trying to beat that record by two or three inches," Charles said. "And when it comes to the state record, I'm focused on that. I have so many people behind me."

Outside of helping his team clinch a league title, Charles looks at Beamon's record as the ideal capper to his four-year odyssey. Having distanced himself from the his contemporaries, the only thing left to do is to catch a legend.

"He loves being in the moment, but he doesn't love having people pine over him," Duffy said. "At the same time, if there is somebody better, he wants to beat that person."

If the legendary Beamon's record falls, people will be talking about Befrantz Charles for a long time. That might make it a little harder for him to blend into the crowd.