Jared Parker 16-0 (TX)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.orangeleader.com/hssports/lo ... 53128.html

Vidor's Parker vaults 16 feet at Cardinal Relays

Tom Halliburton
The Orange Leader
BRIDGE CITY — Jared Parker may have a future in his track and field passion called pole vaulting. To believe it has consumed his interest is an understatement.

The Vidor junior finished third in Class 4A at last May’s state UIL championships. He cleared 15-0 last year as a sophomore. Then Friday at the 35th Bridge City Cardinal Relays, the 17-year-old Parker literally broke the screw on the right standard after he went over the crossbar at a meet-record height of 16-0.

Plenty of great pole vaulters have competed at this meet over the past three decades, but Parker picked a perfect mid-afternoon with a south tailwind and a worthy competitor, Hamshire-Fannett’s Curtis Gaspard.

Before the sun faded west, this turned into a most entertaining exhibition of high school boys pole vault competition. Each cleared 13-6 on his second try, but Gaspard missed three attempts at 14-0 while Parker easily over 14-0 on his first try.

“You just need a stick,â€