Roseburg HS vaulters article (OR)

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Roseburg HS vaulters article (OR)

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Fri Apr 07, 2006 1:32 pm

http://www.newsreview.info/article/2006 ... 2/-1/rss01

Sky-high expectations

Former Roseburg High pole vaulters are helping each other achieve new heights this season

Raising the bar: Roseburg High School pole vaulters, from left, Eli Hanna, Jake Wilton, Katie Wilton and Adam Brink are each ranked among the state’s top 10 after the season’s first month. Brink is the defending 4A state champion and the other three are following his lead.
JON AUSTRIA / N-R staff photo
DAVE LEDER, dleder@newsreview.info
April 6, 2006


Success in pole vaulting, like most track and field events, depends solely on the individual. The amount of time and effort an athlete puts into the sport, the more he or she will get out of it.

But at Roseburg High, pole vaulting is a team affair, where four competitors push one another day after day to achieve new heights.

Defending 4A state champion Adam Brink is setting the early-season standard with consistent jumps of 15 feet. Not far behind are seniors Eli Hanna and Jake Wilton, who have recorded marks of 13-6 and 12-6, respectively, this season.

Brink is currently ranked No. 1 in the state, Hanna sits tied for No. 3, and Wilton is just outside the top 10. Wilton's younger sister, Katie, is also showing strong early-season signs with the eighth-best jump in the state (9-9) thus far.

"There's a lot of friendly competition between us, but we all push each other," said Brink, a junior who has already cleared 15-6 in practice this season.

"I may be jumping the highest right now, but these guys have what it takes to go just as high. We all learn from each other's mistakes, and that is probably the biggest advantage we have as a team."

Hanna said what helps him most is being able to watch and learn from his teammates, both on video and at the pit.

"It's nice to have guys like Adam and Jake at practice every day because I can see exactly what I need to improve on," Hanna said.

"We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and being able to see that in practice and on film makes us stronger. It's also important to see what you're doing wrong so you can fix it."

Aside from hours of repetition, another way the vaulters are able to improve their jumps is by watching video with head coach Jim Moyer. Every day after practice, the vaulters convene with Moyer in the athletic office to share pointers on technique.

By seeing themselves on film, the vaulters can often notice a difference between what they think they're doing and what they are actually doing.

"Film is probably the most important thing because it helps you see what's really going on," Jake Wilton said. "After we see what we look like, we bring it back out here and try to iron everything out."

Brink said he is already ahead of schedule this season because he has been studying his vaults from late last season. After watching his state-winning performance on video, he picked out a few technical areas to focus on, and he is confident that he can surpass his 15-foot effort.

"Fifty percent of it is strength and the other 50 percent is mental," Brink said. "Later in the season it becomes even more mental. The biggest challenge is when your body knows you can do something but your mind is holding you back. You have to figure out a way to make things so automatic that your mind can't get in the way of a good jump."


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Approaching greatness: Roseburg High's Eli Hanna warms up during pole vaulting practice Monday at the high school.
JON AUSTRIA / N-R staff photo
With only six weeks left before the Southern Oregon Conference district meet, the Roseburg vaulters are all trying to fine-tune their technique in five major areas: Planting, driving, turning upside down, turning around at the peak of their jump and releasing.

"You have to have the mindset that you can do more than one thing at once," Jake Wilton said. "It can be hard to do four or five things a the same time, but the more time we spend at it, the better we're going to be."

The three boys vaulters all believe they can finish one-two-three at the district meet, but they would like nothing more than to qualify for state with the automatic standard of 14-2 .

Hanna, in his fourth year as a varsity pole vaulter, is already looking forward to that opportunity.

"I've spent four years right here (at the pole vault pit) and I want to get to state and do well there," he said. "I've fixed my plant this year and that is what has helped me the most. I had my best vault this week and I want to keep pushing it even higher."

Katie Wilton, with the best SOC mark so far this season, also has a legitimate chance to qualify for state. She broke the Roseburg High sophomore girls record with a jump of 9-9 on March 23, and she has already eclipsed 10 feet in her career.

"Pole vaulting has become my favorite event and I've been practicing a lot so I can get to state," she said. "I'm hoping to clear 11 feet this year and with the support of my coach and teammates, I think I can do it."

Wilton said she has learned a lot from Brink, Hanna and her brother, and she often looks to them for guidance and motivation. But when it comes down to it, pole vaulting is just you, the pole and the bar.

"It's a huge rush," Wilton said. "I love being up in the air and pushing myself to go even higher. That's what makes it so fun."

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