Levi Gallas Article (CO)

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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/p ... 19,00.html

Chaparral's Gallas aiming even higher
Versatile senior hopes to defend pole vault crown with his best height yet

By Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News
March 9, 2005

For an athlete who never took up the pole vault until he was a freshman, Levi Gallas has done quite well for himself.

Gallas, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior at Chaparral, returns to defend his title this spring in Class 5A. He took up the pole vault at Smoky Hill under the guidance of coach Mark Cooper, and it seemed to be a natural fit from the start.

He transferred to Chaparral after his sophomore season after his father, Dan, who had been the Buffaloes football coach, quit his position at the school.

Gallas, who also is an accomplished football player and wrestler, vaulted 14 feet, 6 inches to win the title, yet it was not his personal best. He placed eighth in state as a sophomore.

"I went 14-8 at Pueblo," Gallas said. "I think a realistic height is 15-6, and I certainly would like to go over 16. I think I can. I'm going to a bigger (weight) pole, and that should help."

Not only that, Gallas attended two elite vaulting camps at the University of Nebraska, one during the summer, the other during the holiday break. He also believes playing football and wrestling have helped contribute to his success.

"People ask me which is my favorite sport, and my reply is that I focus on the sport at hand," said Gallas, who compiled a 32-9 record in wrestling this season and was a state qualifier his junior season. "For me to do otherwise is not fair to me or my coaches.

"I was actually on the verge of quitting wrestling this year to just concentrate on track," said Gallas, who vaulted 12-2 his freshman season. "But I thought if I did quit, I would regret it. Wrestling and football have helped with my agility, speed and strength."

Gallas said a lot of good things happened while at Nebraska, especially during drills in which the pole is planted into the box at the end of the approach.

"Going up is actually a wired feeling and you have to make split-second decisions on how the vault is going," Gallas said. "You have to know when to bail out of a vault rather than try to keep it going."

Cooper continues to help Gallas, which is much appreciated by the Wolverines vaulter, considering that Cooper's sophomore son, Kirk, will be one of the main opponents for Gallas.

"Kirk took third last season," said Gallas, who also pointed to Loveland's Pat Deal as a top contender. "He is a very good friend of mine. Of course, I want to win, but if I lose the title to Kirk, it would not bother me."

Gallas, who will major in secondary education, will head in the fall to Adams State, where he has a scholarship to play football and track.

"The coaches at Adams State have been very good in my conversations with them, saying they will let me participate in both," Gallas said. "I'll do the best I can with the opportunity they have offered me.

"I want to become a football and track coach like my dad and uncle (retired Northglenn football coach Scott Gallas). When I told them what I wanted to do, the response from them was, 'Well, get ready to not make a lot of money.'

"That doesn't bother me," Gallas said. "I like their lifestyle, and this is what I want to do. I guess you can say coaching is in my blood."