Pole Vault City

Mike Vani, a senior from Merritt Island High School, lived out a dream on Friday, May 8th, 2009.  Vani not only acheived his goal of winning a state pole vault championship, but raised a state record, that many people thought would stand for decades.  Vani brought the state meet crowd together, both the spectator side of the stadium and the athlete side, as they rhythmically clapped their hands to will the young athlete over some very steep obstacles.  After clearing bars at 13′, 13’6″, 14′, 14’6″, and 15′ all on his first attempt and all from 10 steps, 5 lefts, it was time to get serious.

Mike was methodical all year and knew the plan, win the meet then worry about vaulting high.  The blue collar task of winning the state championship was complete, it was his chance to shine.  As the bar was raised to 15’7″, Mike moved his run back to 12 steps, 6 lefts, which is the approach length that helped him clear 16’0.5″ at the district meet earlier in the year.  At this point, there were no other events taking place.  There was an intermission between prelims and finals, and all the other field events were complete. Mikecame down the runway and easily made 15’7″.  The next bar chosen was 16’1″ to try and better his own personal mark.  After a first attempt miss, the crowd came alive and started “THE CLAP”.  For those who have never experienced it, this is probably the most incredible form of motivation.  Down the runway comes Vani, almost in stride with the rhythm of the clapping, and up and over he goes.  The next bar would be the moment Vani had been waiting almost 4 years to arrive. A shot at the state record.  He instructed the officials that the next bar would be 16’8″ and out came the tape measure.  All state recordjumps must be measured and verified.  After all the measuring, it was time to see if Vani had what it took.  On his first attempt, Vani appeared to have enough height, but came down on the bar.  His second vaultwould be etched into the memory of all who saw it. As Vani came off the pole, his body seemed to just keep rising.  He didn’t make it by an inch or two, he smoked it.  This record jump would better the mark of 16’7″ set just one year earlier by Riley Egan, now at UCLA.  It was an amazing vault and a treat for the crowd to witness. Vani, with a grip height of 14’8″ on his pole, had just vaulted 32″ over his top handhold. Although one of his attempts at 17′ was close, it was obvious that the day had taken it’s toll on Vani.  His final vault occurred at about 6:45 p.m. and he began warming up at 3:00 p.m.  Congratulations Mike, you earned it!

In another chapter of the 3A state pole vault championship, Trent Wiseman, a senior from Freedom High School in Tampa, overcame adversity and received the award for 4th place at 14′.  Trent almost didn’t get to compete in the state meet as a senior due to a Swine Flu scare at Freedom High School earlier in the week.  Freedom High School had shut its doors to the public and there were meetings of athletic directors and FHSAA executives to decide what course of action to take.  This was a national headline, it was on the news, it was in all the papers.  In the end, the Freedom athletes were allowed to participate at the state meet with the other athletes.  I can’t imagine how hard this situation was on Trent psychologically throughout the week, but we are all proud of him for his achievement at the state meet.

As the hits keep coming, Brandon Bassett, a senior from Chiles High School, and David Shepherd, a junior from St. Thomas Aquinas also had unique stories. Brandon, competing in his third pole vault state championship, sported 3 individual medals at the end of the day.  He earned 3rd place in the high jump with a jump of 6’8″, 7th in the triple jump with a jump of 44’4.25″, and 2nd in the pole vault with a vault of 14’6″.  What a stud! This guy is going to make a great decathlete at USF in the years to come.  David Shepherd, son of Cardinal Gibbons Hall of Fame athlete, David Shepherd,  accomplished a personal best of 14’6″ and almost made 15′ at a meet that almost got away.  Earlier in the track season, Shep broke the thumb on his right hand.  I would love to report that he was saving a baby from a burning building, but he simply tripped and fell off the pole vault pit at a meet.  Shep spent most of the season in a cast.  Fortunately, the cast was removed a couple of weeks before the district meet and he was allowed to compete.  David’s third place finish helped St. Thomas Aquinas win a second consecutive boys teamtitle.  What a great comeback story.

Official Results:

• 1st Place – Mike Vani, Senior, Merritt Island High, 16’8″ – A new state record
• 2nd Place – Brandon Bassett, Senior, Chiles High, 14’6″
• 3rd Place – David Shepherd, Junior, St. Thomas Aquinas High, 14’6″
• 4th Place – Trent Wiseman, Senior, Freedom High, 14′
• 5th Place -  Harrison Stierwalt, Senior, Chiles High, 14′
• 6th Place – James Ort, Junior, Belleview High, 13’6″
• 7th Place – Steven Shifke, Plant High, 13’6″
• 8th Place – Buddy Austin, Lincoln High, 13’6″
• 8th Place – Codi Cooper, Freshman, Satellite High 13’6″

Senior Morgan Scherschel, from Gaither High School, flew over 11′ to defeat junior Emily Cook, aka Cookie Monster,  from East Ridge High, and senior Nicole Smith, from Sickles High.  Both Cook and Smith kept the pressure on Scherschel by clearing 10’6″, but 11′ would prove to be too much for the other girls.  Upon winning the title, Morgan then moved the bar to 11’7″ where she soared over the bar on her first attempt, only to have the pole knock down the bar.  This attempt was ruled a miss and Morgan would run into the same situation on her third attempt, only to have the official rule in her favor – a decision that was made because she was the final competitor and would not affect the final outcome in any way.  Let this be a lesson to young pole vaulters: if you are not turned at the top of your vault, you will have difficulty throwing the pole back.  Morgan claimed her second title in as many years and is also the state leader at 12′.  One of the best scenes of all of the classification meets over the past two weeks occured after the competition on the award stand.  After receiving their medals, there was a choreographed dismount that was definitely picturesque.  With a majority of the competitors being former gymnasts and cheerleaders, this wasn’t too hard to believe.  Fortunately, no one was hurt during the dismount.

Official Results

• 1st Place – Morgan Scherschel, Senior, Gaither High, 11’7″
• 2nd Place – Emily Cook, Junior, East Ridge High, 10’6″
• 3rd Place – Nicole Smith, Senior, Sickles High, 10’6″
• 4th Place – Erica Weiss, Junior, Boone High, 10′
• 5th Place – Kelsey Karlstrand, Junior, Riverview High, 9’6″
• 5th Place – Heather Williams, Junior, Venice High, 9’6″
• 7th Place – Gracie Clapp, Junior, Bartram Trail High, 9’6″
• 8th Place – Senior Antonia Zecevic, Douglas High, 9′

Paige Shirley, a junior from Episcopal School, didn’t seem bothered by the fact that after 11′ she was in third place, behind on misses, and facing a personal best to win the FHSAA 2A Pole Vault State Championship.  Caitlin Schuessler, a junior from Pine Crest School,  and Brianna Arellano, a freshman from Bishop Moore, both watched as Shirley made 11’6″.  After Schuessler and Arellano both missed their first attempt, this meant that each would have to clear 12′ in order to overtake Shirley.  Both girls cleared 11’6″, but were unsuccessful at 12′, leaving Shirley as the state champion in one of the most exciting state championship pole vault matchups in a while.

Shirley is coached by Ira Wellborn and Pat Crandall, both well known vault coaches in the Jacksonville area.  It was great to see Ira get so excited after Paige cleared 11’6″ on her first attempt, pumping his fists in the air, knowing the significance of the make.  Both Wellborn and Crandall coached pole vault sensation Daisy Glasser, who is now competing for the University of Florida.

Even more exciting than the competition itself, is the fact that all three girls will return next year to battleagain for the coveted crown.  In fact, only Jessica Jetmore, from Bishop Moore, is a senior and will not be back next year.  That is very exciting.  Hopefully, we will get to see the girls at the Golden South Classicin May at First Academy.

Official Results:

1. Paige Shirley, 11th Grade, Episcopal, 11’6″
2. Caitlin Schuessler, 11th Grade, Pine Crest, 11’6″
3. Brianna Arellano, 9th Grade, Bishop Moore, 11’6″
4. Caleigh Boyington, 11th Grade, Citrus, 10’6″
5. Alessandra Cassidy, 11th Grade, Archbishop McCarthy, 10’6″
6. Jessica Cornelia, 10th Grade, Archbishop McCarthy, 10′
7. Brittany Wagoner, 10th Grade, Key West, 10′
8. Jessica Jetmore, 12th Grade, Bishop Moore, 9’6″

Parker Harris, a senior from Port St. Joe, vaulted 14′ to win the FHSAA 1A pole vault title. In a rather uneventful final, Harris stood alone after 14 feet as the lone competitior. Harris then tried to improve on him mark by moving the bar to 14’6″, but was unsuccessful in three attempts, almost making it on his third attempt. Senior Michael Edwards, from Benjamin School, and junior Logan Vanhoutteghem, from Coral Springs Christian both kept the pressure on Harris as long as they could both clearing 13’6″, but 14′ would prove too much for the duo. Edwards and Vanhouttenghem finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. 4th, 5th, and 6th places went to vaulters clearing 13′. Those athletes were: Thomas Maguire, from South Florida Heat, Donavan Erbe, from Admiral Farragut, and Zach Wittenberg, from St. John Neuman. Kurt Scanameo, from Maclay school in Tallahassee, and Josh Bruns from Mount Dora Bible School rounded out the medalists, finishing 7th and 8th with a bar of 12’6″.

In thrilling fashion, Kylee Skidmore, a sophomore from P.K. Younge, defeated freshman Megan Walker, from Port St. Joe, to win the 2009 1A FHSAA State Championship. This appears to be one of many match-ups between these two as they are both so young, keep in mind that Lindsey Enders, a sophomore from Holy Trinity School, was not in the meet, but had a personal best of 11’6″ this year. With the inclusion of Enders, this young trio should be fantastic to watch for the next couple of years.

After the conclusion of the regular meet, Kylee and Megan were tied at 10’6″, with each competitor having the same number of misses. After one more attempt at 11′, the bar was lowered to 10’9″ as the competition intensified. Kylee barely missed at 10’9″ and Megan stumbled at the end of her approach causing her to stall out, pole in full bend. Megan let go of the pole and the pole went flying through the air, I’m not sure anyone ever found the tip.. The bar was then lowered to 10’6″ where Kylee successfully cleared it. Megan was unsuccessful in her attempt, but she showed the heart of a lion by taking off after such a disastrous attempt at a 10’9″. Rounding out the girls results were:

• 3rd place – Samantha Beckham – 12th Grade – Cedar Key High – 10’6″
• 4th place – Kelly Robinson – 11th Grade – Community School of Naples – 10′
• 5th place – Ali Battista – 10th Grade – Westminster Academy – 9’6″
• 6th place – Ashleigh Lewis – ? – Port St. Joe – 9’6″
• 6th place – Kamila Silva – 11th Grade – South Florida Heat – 9’6″
• 8th place – Christina Irizarry – Dade Christian – 9’6″