Jeremy James article (WV)

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http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2006041416/

Dragon trying to get a foot up in vault

Christopher Wade
For the Daily Mail

Friday April 14, 2006


St. Albans High junior Jeremy James doesn't need to try and vault his way to the top of track and field.

He's already there.

The 6-foot James is the defending Class AAA state champion in the pole vault for the Red Dragons, and on Thursday he won the event at the Sam LeRose/Stan Smith Memorial meet with a vault of 13 feet, 3 inches.

However, despite the 17-year-old claiming the title last season in the state meet at University of Charleston Stadium/Laidley Field with a vault of 13-6, James has already surpassed that mark this year and is looking to clear even more.

"It felt so good to win the title last year," James said. "My No. 1 goal this season is to repeat as state champion.

"I also want to get on a bigger pole and improve my mark from last year by a foot, to 14-6. That's my goal."

James is no stranger to switching to a bigger pole in the middle of a season. He did the same last year en route to winning the state title.

"I was working with a pole last year and toward the end of the season, I started working with another one," James said. "Things worked out for me and I've started this season out with the same pole. I'm looking to switch again soon though."

The 14-foot, 180-pound pole James switched to from the 14-foot, 160-pound pole, has given him more spring with the vault.

St. Albans Coach Bart Hillenbrand admitted making the change in poles took time for James to adjust last season, but the Red Dragons will be unveiling a new pole for James to try and master in the near future.

"Last season, we started Jeremy out with a small pole and after he progressed with it the way we wanted, we went to a bigger pole," Hillenbrand said.

"It took him about three weeks to break it in but we got him to peak at the right time and we couldn't have asked for a better time table."

"Now we've got a bigger pole for him (15-feet, 175-pound). We think a 14-plus mark is a reasonable goal for him," Hillenbrand continued.

James surpassed his state championship mark by clearing 13-9 last week in the Riverside Invitational. He won the LeRose/Smith event by 21 inches.

Several key reasons for the continued improvement for James is due to his offseason conditioning program, as well as his days on the St. Albans football team.

Last season, James rushed for 1,520 yards on 255 carries, including 14 touchdowns for the Red Dragons.
James also attributes his conditioning program at Potential Plus, a performance enhancing facility at the Teays Physical Therapy Center, as another key piece of his success.

"I've lifted a lot with football and at Potential Plus, I went twice a week, they put a program together with different drills such as a sand pit and sleds," James said. "It has made me faster and stronger as well."

The Red Dragons got a welcomed addition in transfer Aaron Dunlap, who transferred to St. Albans from Nitro.

Dunlap, also a junior pole vaulter, finished third in the state meet for the Wildcats last season and second to James on Thursday. He and James have competed against each other over the years and are now pushing each other to be the best, now as teammates.

"Aaron lived in St. Albans but transferred to Nitro for wrestling," James said. "He's a good wrestler and they have a great program. But his dad (Tony) now coaches football at St. Albans.

"We've always competed against each other. It's a friendly competition between us. Now we push each other and learn from each other."

In middle school, Hillenbrand coached Dunlap at Hayes while Hillenbrand's brother, Walt, coached James at McKinley.

"They go back to middle school in competing against each other," Bart Hillenbrand said. "It's a good healthy competition and they are both strong competitors."

"Dunlap actually beat Jeremy at a earlier meet. I just coach them and hope they can beat out everybody else and then I'll have no favorites between the two."

So, while James currently sits at the top, Dunlap is hoping to vault to the top as well. Either way, it's a win-win for Hillenbrand and the Red Dragons.