2 weeks Ago
Ashby Hayward is one of the top boys pole vaulters in Maine. But that doesn’t mean the Mt. Ararat junior is comfortable using a flexible pole to vault into the sky and over a horizontal bar.
“There’s definitely fear,” he said. “For me, (the mindset is) what can you do to win? I sort of lock into that mindset. But that mindset slips every now and again, and I get scared.
If I get on a really heavy, big pole, and I take my approach and I take my jump, and I get halfway up and I bail, something bad is going to happen.” Pole vaulting is one of the most unique events at a high school track and field meet. The event features a sprint, a fiberglass (or carbon fiber) pole and a big leap of faith.
It’s challenging, and it’s not for everyone. “Throwing yourself over a bar that is multiple feet in the air, gripping onto a fiberglass pole and getting yourself inverted? That’s not normal,” said Hall-Dale coach Jarod Richmond. “But I think what makes a good pole vaulter is they have to be fearless and mentally tough.
The pole vault swing is like a golf swing, there’s so many different little things and nuances that can make all the difference.” Many pole vaulters acknowledge the risks, but say the payoff is worth it. “I’ve done almost every single event you can do in track and field,” Hayward said.
“Not one of the events has brought (more) gratification and satisfaction than realizing you’re over the bar, falling 13 feet, and watching it stay where it is and hearing the roar of your friends and family and everyone watching you. It’s the most satisfying work you can do.” “It’s all about the thrill, running, jumping, getting air,” added teammate Bryce Holden, the defending Class A outdoor champion with a vault of 13 feet.
“It has sex appeal, in a way. It’s just a cool sport.” The consensus among vaulters is the takeoff — hustling down the runway toward the box and jumping mat while holding the pole — is where the work begins.
A good takeoff is crucial for a successful vault. “You’ll see some kids who don’t bend the pole at all, it’s a straight pole jump. You’re capped on how far you can go, because part (of the success of the event) is that bend that gives you that energy to swing upward,” said Mt.
Ararat vaulting coach Justin Laverriere. “It all happens on the runway. We spend 70 percent of our time not even in the pit, it’s got to be on the runway.
Are you running full speed? Are you learning to run? If your run is off, you’re planting from the wrong position and you’re not going to be able to carry the speed you need to invert. That invert starts at the very start of the run-up.” Laverriere’s top students, Holden and Hayward, agree.
Mt. Ararat’s Ashby Hayward practices the pole vault in Topsham. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal “I like to be really aggressive.
I don’t play football, but it’s like you’re going (after) someone,” said Holden, a junior. “You just need to run and jump with conviction. That’s what I do.
I rock back and forth before my run-up and I try to put everything I have into that aggressive takeoff.” No one has vaulted higher in the state over the past year than Scarborough senior Wyatt Martin, who won the Class A indoor title in February by clearing 15 feet. Then, he was successful at 15-5 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston.
But Martin admits he needs to improve his run-up. “For me, the takeoff is definitely where I need the most work,” Martin said. “It’s muscle memory, probably for a lot of people, but I just try to make a couple of small adjustments that will benefit me greatly at the top (of the vault).
” Vaulters hope their speed and kinetic energy, the force that comes from running and then planting the fiberglass pole, is enough to propel them to their desired height. “The plant is a really important part of it, because it sets you up for the rest of the vault,” said Freeport senior Kessa Benner, who was the runner-up at the Class B championships last spring and at the indoor Class B championships in February. As a vaulter starts moving upward, they pull their legs in and start pushing them skyward — with their body almost upside down as they head toward the bar.
“You need strength and you need (good) form,” said Freeport freshman Briella Boudreau. “You need the muscle to be able to bend the pole and lift yourself up. The more you do it, the more you’re used to it and your muscles aren’t feeling the strain of it.
But there is a lot of core (strength) because you’re bending (your legs) inward and upwards.” “When I was first learning it, I would immediately be sore. I’d mostly feel it in my abs,” Benner said.
“Now, you don’t really notice (the soreness) until the day after.” Briella Boudreau of Freeport High looks to clear the bar at an April 18 meet in Yarmouth. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald It also means holding onto the pole for dear life, meaning vaulters need good upper-body strength.
Freeport junior Tizita Rackmales is brand new to the event. Her boyfriend — Holden — convinced her to give it a try. In her debut at the Bob Morse Invitational last week at Yarmouth High, she cleared 8 feet.
Rackmales is a former gymnast, and credits the strength gained in her previous sport to her early success in the pole vault. “I thought the idea (between the two) was a little bit similar,” she said. “I thought I could give it a go and see how it went.
The idea of getting in the air, for me, was very familiar. That part wasn’t as scary for me, so I think that helped me a lot. I really enjoy being in the air and doing fun, flippy stuff like that, so it’s enjoyable for me.
” Even the best in the state acknowledge there is always the possibility that something can go wrong. And for some, it has. “You learn to put your trust in the mats,” Holden said.
“I’ve fallen from pretty high, like 13 feet, onto the track. What they teach is to hold onto the pole. The most dangerous part (of the pit) is the plant box, because it’s metal.
If you hold onto the pole, geometry says you can’t fall back in the plant box. You either fall on the mat, or on the track, and then you roll out of it. You learn that, really, by trial and error.
” Holden’s 13-foot fall happened during an indoor event at Bowdoin College in February. “I was using this new pole, and excited to use it. And it pushed me back,” Holden said.
“I knew it was just good to hold on. If you’re landing on the track, the best thing you can do is land on your feet and roll on your shoulder, and I was able to do that. I’m glad I didn’t land on anyone.
” Tizita Rackmales of Freeport High clears the bar while competing in the pole vault at a Western Maine Conference meet on April 18 at Yarmouth High. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald “I’m notorious on the team for taking the hard falls,” added Hayward. “I’ve gotten good at landing.
But I’ve sent a pole, through sheer tension and kinetic energy, flying into the balcony at Bowdoin. And I sent a pole flying across the track.” Martin has also had a few brushes with danger.
“I’ve had some some close calls, even this season,” Martin said. “A lot of this is just being comfortable, not letting yourself get in your head and just doing what you can do. It’s kind of a blur.
I don’t think much when I’m up there, just about the drills (we do) and working off of muscle memory.” Martin added the danger is worth it, especially when he hit his new personal record at nationals. “It was only a 2-inch (personal record), but to do it at the biggest meet of my life was pretty cool,” Martin said.
“The week before, I had a terrible meet, and I didn’t have a bigger pole to go up to. It was pretty cool to put it all together at nationals..
. The rush of being 15 feet in the air is pretty cool.” Comments are not available on this story.
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