TARA BACH MAPES
Pearl River High School
Class of 1997
Tara Bach burst on the high school track scene in 1993 as a promising eighth-grader who spent the next five years charting one of the finest careers of any female athlete to don the Pearl River colors.
Seven times a Rockland County high jump champion and six times a Section 1 high jump champ, Tara placed herself in elite company by establishing both the indoor and outdoor Rockland County records in that event. Her outdoor record of 5 feet 7 ¼ inches stood for 12 years, while her indoor mark of 5-7 held up for a decade. She currently ranks No. 2 all-time in Rockland both indoors and outdoors. Impressively, Tara cleared 5-6 ½ as a ninth-grader to set a New York State freshman record (since broken).
She vividly remembered her County outdoor record in the high jump, set in the State Qualifier at Arlington in 1995, her sophomore year. “It was a big moment,” Tara recalled in 2006, when she was inducted into the Pearl River HS Sports Hall of Fame. “I remember my father jumped over the gate and ran over and gave me a big hug.”
Jumping, Hurdling, and Multi-Event Success
The event that showcases the most versatile female athletes in track & field is the seven-event heptathlon. In high school track, the five-event pentathlon serves as the primary barometer for well-rounded excellence. The pentathlon tests running, jumping and throwing skills – 100-meter hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump and 800 meters. Tara proved herself a master at the demanding discipline right away, setting a New York State freshman record with a score of 3,059 points. Tara’s personal best of 3,148 points ranks No. 5 all-time in Rockland, and her heptathlon score of 3,888 points ranks No. 2. The heptathlon includes the 200 meters and javelin in addition to the five other events.
On the state level, Tara placed second in Class B and fifth among all divisions in the 1997 spring pentathlon. She also was runner-up in the high jump at the State winter track meet in 1995; third in the ’96 spring Class B States; and fourth in both the State and Federation in the ’96 winter track campaign. At the Eastern States meet, she had second- and third-place finishes to her credit.
High jumping and hurdling is a natural combination and Tara demonstrated a great aptitude for clearing horizontal barriers, whether she was landing in a mat or on her feet. She won County and Section 1 titles in the 55-meter hurdles besides capturing a County crown in the 400 hurdles.
“The high jump was my favorite event. I liked meets where I was doing three or four events, going back and forth,” she said.
Numerous Accolades
Although her jumping exploits took center stage, Tara also proved adept at long distance on Coach Dan Doherty’s perennially powerful cross country teams. She was a solid contributing member of the Pirates’ 1994 New York State championship squad. “I started running cross country to stay in shape for winter and spring track,” she said, “but I got into it. I’m very competitive and I wanted to stay up there for as long as I
could.”
In all, Tara was a member of 11 Sectional and nine Rockland County championship teams. She was named first-team All-County and All-Section eight times apiece; won 12 Section 1 and nine Rockland County titles; qualified for eight State meets; was team MVP six times; spring 1996 Rockland County meet MVP; winter 1997 WRKL Athlete of the Season; and a member of the County record-setting 300- and 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay teams.
Tara, the second-oldest of six children in a combined family, looks back with deep appreciation for the support she received from her parents, Tom and Grace Bach, who attended all the athletic events of Tara and her siblings – Karen, Jill, Terry, Robby and Craig.
After graduating from Pearl River in 1997, Tara attended SUNY Delhi for a year and a half before enlisting in the Army in February 1999. During her nearly four-year hitch in the military, Tara, who attained the rank of corporal, trained at Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, spent a year serving in Korea, and served the last two years at Fort Drum in upstate Watertown, N.Y.
Tara gave birth to a son, Kevin, on the fateful day of September 11, 2001. (Kevin is now 21). She completed her military stint in November 2002. Tara, who’s 44, and her husband, Jon Mapes, have another son, Connor, age 6. They reside in the Orange County town of Highland Mills.
Tara is in her 19th year with the Human Resources department of the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, having been appointed department coordinator within the past year. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from SUNY Empire State College last September.
Seven times a Rockland County high jump champion and six times a Section 1 high jump champ, Tara placed herself in elite company by establishing both the indoor and outdoor Rockland County records in that event. Her outdoor record of 5 feet 7 ¼ inches stood for 12 years, while her indoor mark of 5-7 held up for a decade. She currently ranks No. 2 all-time in Rockland both indoors and outdoors. Impressively, Tara cleared 5-6 ½ as a ninth-grader to set a New York State freshman record (since broken).
She vividly remembered her County outdoor record in the high jump, set in the State Qualifier at Arlington in 1995, her sophomore year. “It was a big moment,” Tara recalled in 2006, when she was inducted into the Pearl River HS Sports Hall of Fame. “I remember my father jumped over the gate and ran over and gave me a big hug.”
Jumping, Hurdling, and Multi-Event Success
The event that showcases the most versatile female athletes in track & field is the seven-event heptathlon. In high school track, the five-event pentathlon serves as the primary barometer for well-rounded excellence. The pentathlon tests running, jumping and throwing skills – 100-meter hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump and 800 meters. Tara proved herself a master at the demanding discipline right away, setting a New York State freshman record with a score of 3,059 points. Tara’s personal best of 3,148 points ranks No. 5 all-time in Rockland, and her heptathlon score of 3,888 points ranks No. 2. The heptathlon includes the 200 meters and javelin in addition to the five other events.
On the state level, Tara placed second in Class B and fifth among all divisions in the 1997 spring pentathlon. She also was runner-up in the high jump at the State winter track meet in 1995; third in the ’96 spring Class B States; and fourth in both the State and Federation in the ’96 winter track campaign. At the Eastern States meet, she had second- and third-place finishes to her credit.
High jumping and hurdling is a natural combination and Tara demonstrated a great aptitude for clearing horizontal barriers, whether she was landing in a mat or on her feet. She won County and Section 1 titles in the 55-meter hurdles besides capturing a County crown in the 400 hurdles.
“The high jump was my favorite event. I liked meets where I was doing three or four events, going back and forth,” she said.
Numerous Accolades
Although her jumping exploits took center stage, Tara also proved adept at long distance on Coach Dan Doherty’s perennially powerful cross country teams. She was a solid contributing member of the Pirates’ 1994 New York State championship squad. “I started running cross country to stay in shape for winter and spring track,” she said, “but I got into it. I’m very competitive and I wanted to stay up there for as long as I
could.”
In all, Tara was a member of 11 Sectional and nine Rockland County championship teams. She was named first-team All-County and All-Section eight times apiece; won 12 Section 1 and nine Rockland County titles; qualified for eight State meets; was team MVP six times; spring 1996 Rockland County meet MVP; winter 1997 WRKL Athlete of the Season; and a member of the County record-setting 300- and 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay teams.
Tara, the second-oldest of six children in a combined family, looks back with deep appreciation for the support she received from her parents, Tom and Grace Bach, who attended all the athletic events of Tara and her siblings – Karen, Jill, Terry, Robby and Craig.
After graduating from Pearl River in 1997, Tara attended SUNY Delhi for a year and a half before enlisting in the Army in February 1999. During her nearly four-year hitch in the military, Tara, who attained the rank of corporal, trained at Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, spent a year serving in Korea, and served the last two years at Fort Drum in upstate Watertown, N.Y.
Tara gave birth to a son, Kevin, on the fateful day of September 11, 2001. (Kevin is now 21). She completed her military stint in November 2002. Tara, who’s 44, and her husband, Jon Mapes, have another son, Connor, age 6. They reside in the Orange County town of Highland Mills.
Tara is in her 19th year with the Human Resources department of the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, having been appointed department coordinator within the past year. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from SUNY Empire State College last September.