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A skyscraper needn't be tall
Undersized? Yes, but pole vaulter's goals remain lofty
Ahmad Terry © News

At 5-foot-11 and 145 pounds, ThunderRidge High School pole vaulter Parker Smith usually competes against larger opponents.
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By Brad Byler, Special To The Rocky
May 17, 2007
The best view from the field Friday at Jefferson County Stadium for the Class 5A boys state track meet could belong to Parker Smith.
In fact, if all goes as planned for the ThunderRidge pole vaulter, he will have the second-best view ever.

Smith hopes to take a shot at the second-highest pole vault in Colorado history during the finals Friday. He is already tied for sixth place with a vault of 16 feet, and he is ready to set the bar at 16-6, behind only the legendary 18-foot jump by Pat Manson of Aurora Central in 1986.

"I definitely think I'm ready (to clear 16-6)," he said. "I've put in all the work, and I've been able to put it all together at practice."

"I'm very confident he will clear 16-6," ThunderRidge track coach John Reyes said. "In my opinion, he is the best track athlete in our state."

Smith could solidify that claim by adding a state title in the 300 hurdles. At regionals last week, Smith recorded the fastest time in the state this season in the event (38.21 seconds), and this weekend sets up nicely for him to challenge in both events.

The pole-vault finals are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday, and the finals for the 300 hurdles are set for 1:50 p.m. Saturday.

"I know I have great competition and nothing is going to be handed to me," said Smith, who also has a 3.907 grade-point average and plans to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon. "But I've put in the work, and hopefully, it will pay off."

A former three-sport athlete, Smith had to quit football after he suffered a stress fracture in his foot a year ago. He stopped wrestling to devote more time to track when his vast potential as a pole vaulter became clear.

Reyes believes the sky is the limit for Smith, who is undersized for a pole vaulter. He currently stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 145 pounds. His father, David, is 6-4 and 260 pounds.

"A lot of the kids he goes against are quite a bit bigger than him," Reyes said. "He still hasn't grown into his frame. His athleticism just takes over a lot of things - and his willingness to work hard. Personally, I don't think he is even close to hitting his potential of what he is going to do down the road."

That road probably will lead to North Carolina or BYU, but for now, Smith is concentrating on the state meet. His top competition will likely come from Chase Cooper of Smoky Hill, who has cleared 15-6 this season.

Smith finished second to Cooper's older brother, Kirk, at state last season, and he has formed an interesting relationship with the Cooper family.

"I absolutely respect that family so much," he said. "It's just an entire family of class-act people. Chase's grandfather (Don) comes up and talks to me at every meet and has been very supportive. His dad (Mark) has always been very supportive of me, even talking to a college coach to recommend me.

"The older brother (Kirk) beat me at state last year, and he was always a good person to be competing against and friendly with me, and I've found Chase to be the same. I've always had a very respectful rivalry with that family.

"Chase is definitely top competition at the state meet."

Smith has also qualified in the 110 hurdles, where he has a good shot at making the finals and scoring valuable points for ThunderRidge in the team race.

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A golden end to vault career
By Benn Farrell, Sports Writer
06/01/2007


Brian Shakley

ThunderRidge High School senior Parker Smith, vaulting in his final high school state meet, clears 15 feet, six inches on his way to winning the championship with a mark of 16 feet.
ThunderRidge senior Parker Smith knew he was going to win the 2007 Class 5A pole vault title after he placed second as a junior.

Smith took his last shot at state gold in the pole vault May 18 in the 5A track and field state championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. With a jump of 16 feet even, the state prize was no one's but his.

"The end of last season, I thought I had chance to win it," Smith said. "I had planned on winning it most of this year. ... I was nervous. I knew there was a lot of great competition at state."

Part of Smith's adversity, besides injuries through his high school career, came in the form of brothers Kirk and Chase Cooper of Smoky Hill. Kirk Cooper beat out the Grizzlies junior for the state title last season with a 16-0 leap to Smith's 15-6.

Although far more confident about finishing on top this time around, Smith was concerned about Chase Cooper, a sophomore, who posed a threat as a title contender; however, the younger Cooper could muster only a 15-6 jump.

"I was trying to not let [the competition] affect what I was doing," Smith said. "I just did what I know how to do, and it was good enough to win it."

As a sophomore, Smith missed state competition because of injuries, something he learned from in his title win as a senior.

"This year, I really focused on injury prevention," he said. "In the past, that's something that has slowed me down. ... I promised myself I'd be more careful to stay healthy."

Another factor in Smith's success this season has been his focus. A part of the Grizzlies' wresting program for three years, the now graduated ThunderRidge senior left the mat and worked on his vaulting

"I decided to do some indoor track this year and focus on that," Smith said. "I kind of knew where my future in athletics would be."

Although the University of North Carolina-bound vaulter was physically prepared for his event early with a childhood in gymnastics, he credits his high school coaching for his championship gold.

"I honestly believe I have the best coaches in the state," Smith said. "Any success that I had I would owe to them."

ThunderRidge boys' track and field coach John Reyes said Smith's dedication has carried him far in the sport.

"He's always the last one to leave practice," Reyes said. "He's very coachable, probably greater than any other athlete I've had. He's a dream athlete."

Smith never participated in track and field until his freshman year at ThunderRidge. His vault title marks the first championship the Grizzlies' track and field program has received; however, Reyes said the win was long overdue for Smith.

"Had he not got hurt, he could have won his sophomore year and his junior year," he said. "Everyone felt he was going to win it this year, and it would have been a major disappointment had he not. It's nice to go out on top.

"[The championship] was big for our school to win and for the program. ... Hopefully it will breed more."

Smith received a track scholarship to North Carolina specifically in pole vaulting. He graduated from ThunderRidge May 25.