Matt Hull (AZ) 15-3

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Matt Hull (AZ) 15-3

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:59 am

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scot ... 424Z8.html

'Late bloomer' soars to new heights
Pole vaulter sets school record at Arcadia meet
Richard Obert
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 24, 2006 12:00 AM
ARCADIA



To paraphrase astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, it was one small jump for Matt Hull, one giant leap for his psyche.
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When Hull cleared 15 feet, 3 inches in Arcadia's dual meet against Higley last Wednesday, the 6-foot-1, 155-pound senior improved his personal record by 2 inches and set a school record.

More important, it let him know that there are no limits to what he can accomplish in the pole vault, a sport in which he grew up watching his father, Greg Hull, teach some of the world's most accomplished athletes.

"I was ready to go higher," said the young Hull, who has received interest from New Mexico State and Arizona State universities. "I've been working on that jump a lot. Everything is refined."

Hull is just now starting to take off in a sport that takes years and years to master. Many of the best vaulters in the world don't reach their peak until they hit their 30s.

"He's kind of a late bloomer, physically," Greg Hull said.

Matt won the Class 4A championship at last year's state track and field championships with a vault of only 14-3. To put that in perspective, the state record is 2 feet higher. Earlier this season, Desert Vista junior Shea Kearney cleared 16-2.

But Matt knows his best vaults are still ahead of him. He's still hoping for 16 feet before the summer is over.

He's got the best help to get him there.

Greg Hull has gone to national, world and Olympic pole vaulting events. He has worked with former Olympic champions Nick Hysong and Stacey Dragila.

This year, he decided to take the year off and dedicate it to working with his son, who started messing around with the pole vault in the fifth grade, following his dad to track meets all over the country.

"He really didn't get serious until the eighth grade," Greg said. "I was afraid of some burnout. I'm so involved in it. I wanted him to do it because he wanted to."

Matt loves it. He gets a rush out of soaring into the air on a pole, "kissing the sky," as these adrenaline junkies like to call it.

"He's a great coach," Matt said of his dad. "I really listen to him."

There is a tendency to want to impress his dad, who has seen 19-foot vaults. But he doesn't have to set world records for Greg Hull to appreciate what his son accomplishes in the sport.

"We talked about it," Greg said. "I think it's a little bit of a conflict. Being around the best in the world, he always had the right idea how to pole vault. He didn't learn bad habits from the start.

"At the same time, I'm not sure he appreciated the incredible opportunities in front of him. He'd have two Olympic champions encouraging him and talking to him."

Matt said he didn't take it for granted, but he would like to carve out his own identity, one with shades. He wears sunglasses on his vaults, even if it's getting dark outside.

"A couple of the Desert Vista girl vaulters were on him for wearing the shades when it was dark out," Greg said.

But it's part of the makeup. One that makes Matt Hull a pole vaulter in his own right.

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