Casey Carrigan Article

[rainbowgirl28]

I don't have many pole vaulting heroes, but Casey Carrigan is one of them. The article the Tacoma paper did in 1999 was a lot better than this one, but it's nice that he still gets press.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/preps/170954_where28.html

Where Are They Now: Casey Carrigan
State high school pole vault record of 1968 Olympian still stands


By MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Casey Carrigan's story sounds too scripted to be true.

He's the 17-year-old kid who came from nowhere and qualified for the 1968 Olympics, a self-taught pole-vaulter from a small town in Washington who used a homemade pole. Carrigan holds the state high school pole vault record of 17-4 3/4, set in 1969. It's the oldest prep track and field record in Washington.

Carrigan grew up on 40 acres in Orting. The closest neighbor was seven miles away. Along with brothers Andy, Mike, Tim and Clance, Carrigan's childhood sounds like something from a book by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The property had rope swings and a lake, along with bear, cougar, deer and other wildlife. The boys were used to creating their own entertainment with whatever nature provided. For Carrigan, that meant cutting some trees, breaking branches and making a vaulting pole.

The older Carrigan brothers dug a pit and filled it with wood chips and sand. Casey had a certain fearlessness and was a natural at vaulting. He began to seriously pole vault in the fifth grade, three years before fiberglass poles were invented.

Carrigan never had a coach, but improved with the help of his father and brother Andy. His dad would film college vaulters with an 8mm camera, while Andy got Casey into weightlifting.

In ninth grade, Carrigan won the "B" classification title with a vault of 14-6, and by the summer of his sophomore season, cleared 15-8 as the state and national high school champ.

As a junior, he hit 16 feet in state competition, and with the Olympics approaching, his father petitioned the AAU to allow his son a chance to compete at the pre-Olympic trials. At the trials, he jumped 16-8, setting a national high school record, and was invited to train at Lake Tahoe.

At the U.S. Olympic trials, Carrigan nailed a 17-foot vault and placed third, qualifying as a member of the '68 U.S. Olympic team at Mexico City.

"It was unbelievable," Carrigan said. "I prayed every night to make the team, and the next thing I know, I'm being interviewed by Jim McKay. I simply couldn't believe it."

The experience at Mexico City would prove to be the highlight and lowlight of Carrigan's career.

Carrigan had difficulty adjusting to the vault schedule, and when his turn finally arrived, he couldn't warm up properly. He needed to clear 16 feet to advance, and missed his first two attempts.

"I was nervous, but made the proper adjustments," he said. "My third attempt was one of the best vaults of my life. I cleared the bar by almost a foot and a half, but I didn't push my pole back."

The crossbar remained firm, but rules at that time did not allow the vaulter's pole to break an imaginary plane below the crossbar and uprights. Carrigan was disqualified. A protest, stating the spotter missed grabbing Carrigan's pole and accidentally pushed it beyond the plane, was denied.

"It was one of the most incredible, yet frustrating experiences of my life," he said. "My dad and I watched the rest of the competition from the stands. I cried off and on for three days. It really hurt to finish like that."

He returned to Orting for his senior year and set the state record. Carrigan was recruited heavily. He was interested in UCLA, but Bruins head coach Ken Shannon left during the process to become head coach at Washington. Carrigan then chose Stanford, which his two older brothers had attended.

After a year of college, Carrigan needed a break. He gave up his scholarship and didn't try out for the 1972 Olympics. But after watching, Carrigan decided to give vaulting one more shot. By 1975, he was ranked No. 1 in the United States and had cleared 17-10 3/4. But an Achilles tendon injury kept him from the '76 Olympic tryouts, and at age 25 his vaulting career was all but done.

A few years later, a friend interested him in becoming a firefighter. Carrigan spent two years at the Santa Anna (Calif.) College Fire Academy in its fire science program, and applied to become a firefighter in Long Beach.

"There were more than 5,000 applications for Long Beach that year," Carrigan said. "It was more competitive than pole vaulting ever was, but I got lucky and was No. 9 on the list. When I got my letter of acceptance, it was like winning the lottery."

Carrigan, a 22-year-veteran, is now captain of the Long Beach Fire Department. In 1995, he met his wife, Dione, playing beach volleyball. They are considering having children.

"It's possible, even though some of my friends think I'm crazy," he said. "I'm 53, but she's a lot younger than I am. We're seriously thinking about it."

When Dione found out Carrigan pole vaulted in the Olympics, she convinced him to prove it. He cleared 10 feet on his first jump, 11 feet on his second and 12 feet on his third before his hamstrings locked up. According to Carrigan, she was impressed.

"It was worth all the discomfort," he said. "She loved me before she knew my vaulting past, so I think I already had her in the bag."

Carrigan couldn't be happier. He's working with a bunch of washed-up jocks like himself who enjoy a physical, active career.

"We save lives," Carrigan said. "I feel like I'm a positive role model helping my fellow man. It's very satisfying."

P-I reporter Michael McLaughlin can be reached at 206-448-8187 or michaelmclaughlin@seattlepi.com

[rainbowgirl28]

In ninth grade, Carrigan won the "B" classification title with a vault of 14-6, and by the summer of his sophomore season, cleared 15-8 as the state and national high school champ.

Actually Carrigan won the A classification with a jump of 14-0.75. B didn't even exist until '84.

Here are Carrigan's state winning performances:
Casey Carrigan Orting 69 16-7
Casey Carrigan Orting 68 15-0.5
Casey Carrigan Orting 67 14-1.75
Casey Carrigan Orting 66 14-0.75