Vaultngus article!

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www2.townonline.com/westborough/ ... eid=245635

No fear of heights: Rangers vaulters among top in state
By Sarah Menesale/ News Staff Writer
Friday, May 13, 2005

Imagine holding a pole more than double your height and balancing it while you sprint down a runway, then planting the pole and flying 10 feet through the air, twisting your body and coming to rest on your back in the middle of a mat.
For more than 30 athletes on Westborough High's track team, that thrilling scenario sounds just about right.
The Rangers have become quite skilled at the event, thanks to pole vaulting guru and coach Doug Lang. The team now boasts the second best vaulter in the state for boys, junior Eric DePalo, who regularly flies 13 feet above the ground. The girls' team is also destroying the competition, with Emer Feighery leading the way as the top vaulter in the state.



"It's definitely something different. It makes you unique. There are not many people willing to run down a runway with a 14-foot pole and launch themselves in the air," said Lang. "Vaulters are a special breed."
The 200-member track team, which is 7-1 for the girls and 7-2 for the guys, has 15 guys and 15 to 20 girls who compete in the pole vault.
"It's a great event. When it's coached well, it's some of the most exciting things going on at a track meet," said Head coach Roger Anderson.
For girls track, senior co-captain Feighery leads the pack with a personal best and school record vaulting of 10 feet, 3 inches.
Fellow co-captain Jordan Ireton isn't far behind, at third in the state, with a personal best of 10 feet, 2 inches. Tied with her is teammate Kelly Engelking with a best leap of 9 feet, 6 inches.
"Our vaulters have been great for years and the reason is Doug Lang. His passion and enthusiasm are second to none worldwide. He takes kids who wouldn't normally get points and now they do. And when he gets his hands on a great talent it is very evident," said Anderson. "Year after year he turns out kids who do really well. It's exciting to watch."
DePalo is one of those great talents, said Anderson. His goal is to break the school record of 13 feet, 6 inches by the time he graduates. DePalo, who competes in both indoor and outdoor track, participates in many events including sprints, hurdles, the high jump and the pole vault.

Pole vaulting is his favorite because "it's really difficult and it's fun to master."
"The vaulters are a really great team. There's a lot of camaraderie and we're pretty tightly knit," said DePalo.
Feighery is one of the people who keeps the group united and working hard. The four-year track veteran says "pole vaulting is what made me more of an athlete."
Feighery is not new to scoring points. Competing in the triple jump, high jump, 300-meter and 100-meter hurdles, and pole vault, she has a history of high performances for the Rangers. Her favorite event by far is the pole vault.



"I'm a technical person. I like working on something little, tweaking things, changing little things to improve your performance," said Feighery.
Pole vault was not a natural choice for Feighery. But, to beat her fear of heights, she started practicing and competing. She certainly has beat that fear, now flying in the air over 10 feet.
Being number one in the state you'd think there would be a lot of pressure, but Feighery says she feels none.
"I know most of the girls who do it (in the league). It feels like I'm competing against the same girls and we're just all going higher. I don't feel a lot of pressure in it. I love it so much that there's no pressure," said Feighery.
"It's very rewarding because there's no peak. You can get a little stronger, a little faster and you see it in your jumps," she added.
She will continue her love of the sport this fall at Middlebury College.
Her co-captain Ireton will also continue in the event at John Hopkins University next year.
Ireton has been competing for the Rangers for the four years, but only picked up the pole vault last year. In the less than two years that she has been going for points, she has progressed enough to be ranked third in the state.
At the second meet last year, she jumped 10 feet, 1 inch, breaking the previous school record of 10 feet. Now she's even an inch higher.

Now that she can fly through the air at impressive heights, this year she is taking a different approach and working on her form.
"I'm concentrating on getting solid form in preparation for college next year," said Ireton, who has only competed in vault twice this spring.
Because the team is so deep, she has the luxury to compete in other field events and just practice on the pole vault. Ireton competes at the 100-meter dash, 200-meter, the long jump, discus and sometimes the 4x100.
"I like pole vault because it is the most demanding of all the events. It's also really humbling. You have to sacrifice heights to work on good form and you have to work on one thing at a time. It's quality over quantity," she said.
Sophomore Engelking agrees, "The take off is the key part of it, you have to make sure your body is in the right position. And that you're pushing up and taking off at the right spot."
Engelking also finds pole vault to be the most fun.
"I like it because it's a different type of event. It's not like all the others and it's fun to see how high you can get," said Engelking.
Tied for third in the state, Engelking also competes in the hurdles and javelin.
"It's pretty cool and unexpected to be one of the top in the state. I think because we have a really good coach it makes it more probable," she said.
With a personal record of 9 feet, 6 inches, Engelking hopes to fly over 10 feet by the end of the season. She got interested in the event after watching her older brother's track meets and thought, I could be good at that, she said.
Many of the girls credit some of their success in the event to a background in gymnastics. The vaulters practice some gymnastics moves and trust skills besides doing practice runs.
"It's so much fun. You have to trust yourself in the air," said Feighery.
"The goal is to land in the center of the mat, if you can clear the height in the process that's a bonus," said Lang, whom the team credits for their success.

I think Coach Doug is a great coach, he definitely knows what he's doing," said Engelking.
Lang, who has been coaching for the Rangers since 1998, came to the school after getting a call from Anderson, his old college buddy. The two were teammates at Tufts University.
"We have a really great coach. One of the best anywhere," said DePalo. "He pays for all poles and necessities. He invests his time. It's what he loves to do."
In outdoor track, Lang specializes in teaching the pole vault and sometimes helps out at the high jump. He's also a indoor head coach. Lang has a long history with the pole vault, having started vaulting his freshman year of high school in 1985. "My mom said I took it up to annoy her," he said.
He continued vaulting through college and picked up coaching to keep up with it. Lang also lends out his coaching services to high school kids in Shrewsbury, North Andover, Narragansett Regional, and for the college level at Assumption.
For safety reasons in Massachusetts, teams need a certified coach to watch the pole vaulters. There's not many to go around, which is why Westborough is lucky to have someone like Lang.
He also lends out poles to other schools in the area because they are so expensive, often $300 each.
"Some people collect baseball cards and coins, I collect pole vault poles," said Lang.
Eric DePalo
Year: Junior
Status: Second in state
Highest jump: 13 feet, 1 inch
Emer Feighery
Year: Senior, captain
Status: First in state
Highest jump: 10 feet, 3 inches (school record)
Jordan Ireton
Year: Senior, captain
Status: Tied for third in the state
Highest jump: 10 feet, 2 inches
Kelly Engelking
Year: Sophomore
Status: Tied for third in the state with Ireton
Highest jump: 9 feet, 6 inches

[Russ]

Let's face it, Doug rocks!

Praise well deserved!