Pat Manson - 20 years over 18 feet!!

[jryland]

uncle P's definetly one guy i look up to but not just because of his pole vaulting skills but because hes an incredlble person/dad/husband/friend.
You're the man Uncle P!!!

[eleazar]

yeah, uncle P is the man...if your reading this, you need to come to Vault Stock, we are working on the 1st ever Jonesboro Street Vault

[izzystikchik]

World record-holder Sergei Bubka of Ukraine topped 18 feet for only 17 consecutive years, though Manson says Bubka's five consecutive world titles will be difficult to match, too

thats awesome, now that i think about it

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.kusports.com/news/track/story/114290

Manson owns magical pole-vault mark


Former Jayhawk has cleared 18 feet for 20 consecutive years


By Gary Bedore, Assistant Sports Editor


Saturday, April 23, 2005


Like baseball Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio and Cal Ripken, track standout Pat Manson owns a record that may never be broken.


"What Pat has done ... there's simply nothing to compare it to," said Tim Weaver, meet director of the Kansas Relays, of former KU pole vaulter Manson clearing the world-class height of 18 feet for an unheard-of 20 consecutive years.


"What Cal Ripken accomplished (playing in 2,632 consecutive games) was certainly on a national scale more impressive," Weaver said. "But as far as longevity ... to vault at a world-class level, go over a bar 18, 19 feet in the air for 20 years, is a little insane, but also amazingly impressive."


More impressive than Ripken's streak or DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak? Manson is too humble for that argument.


"I will leave that for other people," said the 37-year-old Superior, Colo., native, who will put his pole-vaulting prowess on display in the Kansas Relays pole vault at 2 p.m. today at Memorial Stadium.


"The only way to get the record is to start young, be very healthy and go long. I've been blessed to do all three things and receive great support from a lot of people," Manson said.


Manson's streak began at Aurora (Colo.) Central High and continued through his career at KU and beyond. Manson and a reporter from the Rocky Mountain News recently discussed possible threats to his throne:


• Earl Bell, who is retired from competition and coaching in Jonesboro, Ark., previously held the record at 18 years.



Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo
Pole vaulters Pat Manson, left, and Nick Hysong speak during a news conference Friday. Manson, a former Kansas University athlete, has cleared 18 feet on the pole vault each year for the past 20 years.
 Photo Gallery: 2005 Kansas Relays -- Friday Events

  


• Russia's Rodion Gataullin, the second vaulter to clear 19-8 (Manson's best is 19-2) had a 15-year streak, but also is retired.


• France's Jean Galfione, the 1996 Olympic champion, is at 14 years, but he's also 34 years old.


Maybe the biggest threat to Manson's mark is a standout here at the Relays -- 2000 Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong, 33, who has cleared 18 feet for 15 straight years.


"Pat's the first to do it. It's extremely difficult to do," Hysong said Friday. "To clear 18 feet, you have to be in shape. To be in that kind of shape 20 years is unbelievable."


"I think Bubka (Sergei, Olympic champion) only did it 17 years," former KU vaulter and Olympian Scott Huffman said. "It's amazing to do it that long, amazing."


Manson takes the compliments in stride.


"It might stand for a long time," Manson said. "But it is a record that will undoubtedly be broken. That's what records are for."


Manson, who runs his own business, Vault Mortgage Company, and coaches Denver-area pole vaulters, has cut back on his track schedule. In fact, the three-time Pan American Games champion, who was an alternate for the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, might be competing in his last Kansas Relays.


"I am so excited to come back to the Kansas Relays," said Manson, who cleared 18 feet in a meet earlier this month. "I didn't know for sure if I'd be in condition to come back, how my spring would pan out. I'm so excited things are working out, and I'm jumping well."


He is ready for the next stage of his life, as he and wife Amy are raising their children, Max (4) and Mia (2). Amy is former Indiana track distance runner Amy Legacki.


"I have immensely enjoyed my vaulting," Manson said, "and I'm moving on to my post-pole-vaulting life."

[PacerJake]

Heres the man himself, this wasn't 18 feet but I took this at KU Relays, hes got great form

[Beam]

Pat is definitly one of the best people I've met on Earth. My favorite experience with Pat was when I lived in Phoenix: My training partners and I were trying to teach my pitbull how to dive into the pool to get her toy rope off of the bottom. I began with baby-steps and had her start on the first step on the pool, followed by the second, third, fourth, and fifth. Then I was really proud of myself when she would dive in to the chest 4-5 ft deep part of the pool. I was going to work my way all the way to the 9-10 ft deep end. Pat came out for a meet and stayed with us. He was such a swell guy. He went swimming one afternoon in the pool with my dog. He came in after playing and was truly amazed at how well my dog could swim to the bottom of the deep end to get her rope. He asked, "Man, geee, golly, guys. . . how did you get the dog to do that?!" I didn't know what he meant by the "deep end." To my suprise, in one afternoon pat had accomplished my life's work with the lousy mutt. I was sooooooo jealous that my dog performed for Pat, but later realized that with such a good attitude, personality, and demeanor, who wouldn't perform. Nicely done Pat!