As a result, he is jumping higher. And higher. And higher. And right into Catholic League and state record books.
Cave finished second in the event at the Nike Indoor Championship Meet, a national event, earlier this month in Landover, Md., where he cleared 6 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Scott Sellers of Katy, Texas, won the event at 7-5 1/4.
On Feb. 21, Cave set a Pennsylvania Meet of Champions record when he cleared 6-10. That leap shattered the former mark, 6-9 1/2, set by Tyrone Smith of Plymouth Whitemarsh in 1985.
On Feb. 15, Cave also set a Catholic League record of 6-8 in the championship meet, breaking the former mark, 6-7 1/2, set by Monsignor Bonner's Bill Super in 1984.
For the outdoor season, which opens this weekend, Cave is setting his sights on the 7-foot barrier, the magic number in the world of high-jumping.
Cave said he attributes much of his improvement to yoga. Fridays, in fact, have become "yoga days" for the Prep's track and field team. There are no exceptions.
Cave said some students quit the team because of yoga. But now he carries a mind-over-matter approach.
"I didn't like it because it was something I felt we didn't need to do," said Cave, who commutes to the Prep's North Philadelphia campus every day from his home in Voorhees, N.J.
"Like, why do we have to stretch all the time, especially that type of stretching?" he asked. "It doesn't look like it would help you at all. But it's helped with my stretching. My flexibility has increased more and my focus has greatly increased."
Strength, approach and focus are traits that have given Cave a leg up on the rest of the competition. For a 16-year-old, Cave has demonstrated an even-keeled demeanor on the track.
"He can keep it all together," said assistant coach and certified yoga instructor Barb Smith, who introduced yoga to the team four years ago. "He can really go within himself when he needs to."
Cave, a power jumper who relies mostly on his speed when approaching the bar, has substituted yoga for the weight room. Coach Curt Cockenberg said that Cave has a knack for high-jumping.
Cockenberg and jumps coach Joe Daniels said Cave has improved his jumping height four inches over the last two years. His technique has remained smooth and his mental approach has strengthened.
"The yoga has really helped him with what we call the layout," Cockenberg said. "He's so flexible that you almost see his heels at his shoulders. And another good thing is, he has an approach. If you get that down, the rest of it is modern mechanics."
Cave is a student of the event. He goes to practice early and leaves late, e-mails and sends video of himself to former U.S. Olympian Dwight Stones, who took third in both the 1972 and 1976 Games and fourth in 1984. He looks for advice, and attends as many summer high-jump camps and clinics as he can.
The next camp on Cave's list doesn't involve a high-jump bar or padded landing area. Cave has been searching for a challenging engineering or medicine camp. With a 3.6 grade point average, Cave has explored his academic options, too.
"It's just hard to find a college that has biomedical engineering and a good track team," he said.
Cave is as resolute in his pursuit of academic excellence - he often will spend from 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on homework and studying - as he is the 7-foot mark.
"I get really disappointed because I've been trying for a while," said Cave, who has attempted that height three times. "I guess I just have to calm myself down. I realize there's another meet next week."
That kind of composure has some predicting a bright future for Cave, including national competition and possibly the Olympics.
"He's sort of a rare find," Daniels said. "Only now I think he sees that his potential is within only a handful of high school jumpers that have ever jumped - and I think that reality is starting to set in."
