Pole vault back in bloom again (IL)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://yourseason.suntimes.com/otherspo ... lt.article

Pole vault back in bloom again

Marian Catholic's Mitchell Erickson and Lincoln-Way Central's Jenna Wexter have put a background in gymnastics to good use in becoming two of the top prep pole vaulters in the state.
(SouthownStar)

May 7, 2008BY TIM CRONIN -- SOUTHTOWNSTAR
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Bloom pole vault coach Tim Johnson once set a national high school record in the event, so he knows a bit about the leverage, aerodynamics and guts required therein.

"Vaulting isn't something you come out and 'get' immediately," Johnson said. "You get it gradually. It's complicated. There's a whole bunch of physics you have to figure out."

And there are a whole bunch of area high school athletes who've had remarkable success doing so.

Most of the state's best vaulters are in the Southland, and many have a connection. Mitchell Erickson of Marian Catholic, Jenna Wexter of Lincoln-Way Central and Megan Weller of Lincoln-Way East were in the same gymnastics club as kids. That's not a coincidence.

"Gymnastics, it's huge," Johnson said. "Sorry to say, most kids never get the opportunity to learn how to control their bodies. They took the monkey bars out of playgrounds. Gymnast refugees turn to pole vaulting."

"It's not universal, but it helps," Lincoln-Way Central track coach Brian Miller said of the gymnastics background. "Air awareness is what they call it."

Wexter finished second in the state meet in 2007 and won this year's de facto indoor state championship in Bloomington. Erickson won the Class AA boys title last spring, the indoor state title in March, and, like Wexter, is one of the favorites for the AA title this year. Last year's girls Class AA champion, Melissa Gergel of Marian Catholic, had also been a gymnast.

Like Erickson, she also was coached by Johnson, a two-time state champion. Johnson's brother Jan won a state title at Bloom and went on to become a three-time NCAA champion and the bronze medalist in the 1972 Olympics.

The Johnsons, in association with Bloom athletic director Joe Reda, helped bring the pole vault back to Bloom in 2004, seven years after the death of Willie Marino in a vaulting accident at Bloom Trail brought the cancellation of the district's storied program. It's the only fatal vaulting accident in Illinois high school history.

"It's ironic," Tim Johnson said. "Don Slota was the Bloom record-holder in the '60s, and he was my coach. The best living pole vault coach in the state had this catastrophic thing happen on his watch. It kinda sucked the gas out of him."

Reda became Bloom's athletic director after vaulting had been dropped, so he could chuckle when Jan Johnson called and asked, "Are you the idiot who canceled pole vaulting at Bloom?"

A six-hour meeting brought forth a plan to bring it back, including a new landing pit, much larger than the type Marino flew over and missed at Bloom Trail. Tim Johnson became the coach, eyeing a return of the Blazing Trojans program to its glory days. To his surprise, the first two state champions he coached went to Marian Catholic.

"I ran track at Bloom with Melissa Gergel's dad," Johnson said. "He said she was interested in the pole vault and asked me to help. So this incredible athlete was the first person I coached. And then Mitch came along."

Erickson ended his gymnastics training in eighth grade, but it wasn't long before he began vaulting when he wasn't playing basketball. Clearing 9 feet at a summer vaulting camp at Maine South prompted Erickson to ask himself, "All right, what am I going to do about practice?"

Enter Johnson, who liked what he saw immediately.

"He probably is the most focused person I've seen in a long, long, long time," Johnson said. "He totally gets the process and the system we go through. So much so, he's to the point where he's coaching other kids, especially those in the little group we participate with."

At the Prep Top Times Indoor Classic at Illinois Wesleyan in March, Erickson occasionally offered a pointer to another competitor. Like many vaulters, he watched just about everyone run down the lane and make their attempts.

When he got his chance, he didn't dally.

"I like to have a rhythm," Erickson said. "I don't like to get cold. When I'm in a meet, I like to go right away. I don't like to use the whole five minutes they give you. Catch your breath, and I'm ready to go again."

He's been going full-bore for two years now, success following success.

"It really kind of hit me when I jumped 16 feet my junior year at East St. Louis, my first outdoor meet," Erickson said. "Wow! I'm nationally ranked. It didn't really hit me until then. I was just having fun doing it."

"There are moments in vaulting you have an epiphany, and when Mitch has, he's made a quantum leap," Johnson said.

The fun factor is still huge, as is Erickson's potential. In a spring of awful weather, his best outdoor vault this year is 15-9 last week in Palatine, but the 16-8 he soared to at Illinois Wesleyan is more indicative of his form.

His state title last year came with a vault of 16-9.

"I'd say he's the odds-on favorite to win state," Johnson said.

Johnson has two more potential state qualifiers in Jepheth Cato and Matthew Page of Bloom.

"I'm hoping Bloom gets two guys downstate," Johnson said. "To get two in the final would be great. That's my ultimate goal as a coach."

In the Lincoln-Way school district, the quality is equally high. Wexter and Weller are 1-2 in the state, and Brenna Marron of Lincoln-Way Central is No. 3 in the Southland, while Zach Chesley and Jeremy Palgen at Lincoln-Way Central and Mike Sheetz at Lincoln-Way East all have made a splash. Chesley's best vault, 14 feet, is the fourth-best in the area, behind Erickson, Josh Hodur of St. Laurence, and Cato.

Wexter cleared 12-6 in competition for the first time Thursday in the SouthWest Suburban Red meet at Lincoln-Way Central, narrowly missed at 13 feet, and did so with a tender Achilles tendon that kept her on the ground for a week.

"She puts every bit of effort into everything she does," said Dustin Waddell, her coach. "She's got no fear. She's got the mentality of 'We'll give it 100 percent and see what happens after that.' There's no limit to what she can do."

Wexter, who was a sprinter as a freshman, was attracted to vaulting partly by Waddell's outsized personality. At a meet, he's the one with the cowboy hat.

"His energy made me want to try it," Wexter said. "He's so upbeat and competitive. I ended up loving it."

It would be a stunner if Wexter and Weller don't qualify for the state finals, with Wexter the favorite to better her runner-up finish. Factor in Erickson and his challengers, and vaulting in the Southland is back.

"We're having a renaissance here," Johnson said.

Extremely so.

[vault3rb0y]

I think Mitch has one of the nicest looking jumps of all high schoolers right now. The gymnastics definitely shows, and he is going to shine at OU!

[VaultMarq26]

I am a Lincon-Way Central Alum....They have a great coach there and Jenna is a great girl

[vcpvcoach]

Not so fast. I talked to Mitch at the ESCC Championships and he said that the OU vault coach wasn't coming back next year. He was petitioning the NCAA to look at other schools.

I have to say to Mitch is a great kid and role model for other high school vaulters.

I hope he takes State again this year.

Good luck, Mitch.

[VaultMarq26]

Not so fast. I talked to Mitch at the ESCC Championships and he said that the OU vault coach wasn't coming back next year. He was petitioning the NCAA to look at other schools.

I have to say to Mitch is a great kid and role model for other high school vaulters.

I hope he takes State again this year.

Good luck, Mitch.

I was talking about the high school coach at Lincoln-Way Central

[Sebes]

That is crazy!

[Mitch]

I WILL be jumping somewhere I am just not sure where at at this point in time. I have really been feeling it lately and I mean jumping close to 17'6" in practice. I wouldn't believe me if I were any of you guys either but I have finally been feeling like myself on the top end of the pole recently. Today I had some good attempts at an 18' bungee, I had the hip height but still all over it. Just don't be surprised if I bust out 5.30 or 5.35 thats all....

Japheth Cato and Matt Page both jumped 15' at their conference meet. Also, they are both just juniors.

For all you guys curious as to where I will end up next, don't be too surprised if I end up in San Louis Obispo California at Cuesta JuCo training with in my mind one of the greatest coaches there is out there, my coaches brother, Jan (the man) Johnson. The plan would be to jump at least 18' the first year then transfer out to a University. I am still open minded about any possible situation right now, but I KNOW Jan can get me to the next level, which is why this will be a hard decision. Not to mention the weather in Cali....anything beats Chicago's spring this year.

[rainbowgirl28]

You'll be in good hands with Jan, just have to make sure you stay focused in your life outside the track. Junior colleges tend to have less support staff riding the athletes to make sure they are on top of their schoolwork and staying out of trouble outside of school. A little maturity goes a long way no matter where you end up.