Amarillo vaulters article (TX)

[rainbowgirl28]

I'll be in Amarillo in a few weeks on my way home to Seattle!

http://www.amarillo.com/stories/042806/ ... 4721.shtml

'V' is for Vaulting


Tradition-rich Amarillo High seeks state bids

By Jon Mark Beilue
jon.beilue@amarillo.com


Airborne Hopefuls: Amarillo High pole vaulters Samantha Allen, left, and Derek Solarski each transferred to the school due to the tradition-rich pole vault program. The two will seek to advance to the UIL state meet May 12-13 when they compete today in the Region I-5A track meet.

Henry Bargas / henry.bargas@amarillo.com


When Derek Solarski and Samantha Allen transferred to Amarillo High early in their high school careers as budding pole vaulters, they came to the right place.
It's like a strong-armed young quarterback transferring to Southlake Carroll.

Solarski was a freshman pole vaulter in Belton in Central Texas when his dad, who worked for Bell Helicopter, was transferred to Amarillo.

"My mom started scouting and researching the schools, and Amarillo High had a good vaulting and academic program, so that's what we chose,'' he said.

Solarski, a senior, and Allen, a junior, return to the Region I-5A track meet for the second year in a row. They are trying to add to an assembly line of AHS vaulters who have ended their season at the state meet in Austin. Seven have made it to state since 1984, and three of them earned medals.

Region I-5A Track

What: The Region I-5A track meet is today and Saturday at R.P. Fuller Track Stadium at Texas Tech.

At Stake: The top two finishers in each event advance to the UIL state meet May 12-13 in Austin.

Sandie vaulting coach Jim Langdon, who will take over the program next year, credits retiring head coach Joe Bain as a key to AHS' success. He budgets adequate money for equipment and then allows Langdon and the vaulters time to work on a technical event.

"I've never wanted for equipment. I think a lot of people ignore that and spend money somewhere else,'' he said. "And another reason, and I'm not bragging, but we're going to work on it. We're not going to give it lip service. Joe allows me to coach them and spend time with them.''

The results in 2006 have been typical.

Solarski, who has continually flirted with 15 feet, 6 inches, is the seventh vaulter at AHS to clear at least 15 feet. He was part of an Amarillo High 1-2-3 sweep at the District 2-5A meet. Cameron Manchester and Brice Bezner join Solarski today at the regional meet in Lubbock.

Solarski will try to redeem himself after a disappointing 10th at regionals last year, clearing 13-6. Allen was fifth at 11-0. The top two in each event advance to the UIL state meet May 12-13 in Austin.

In the fifth year for girls pole vaulting, Allen is the all-time area record-holder in the event at 11-6. She came to Amarillo High from Canyon just before her freshman year.

In eighth grade at Canyon, some friends discussed trying the pole vault. They eventually backed out, but not Allen, who thought it would be fun.

"It's just an adrenaline rush,'' she said. "Nothing else can throw you in the air like that. It's a good feeling to say you're a pole vaulter. Everyone looks at you like you're...''

"Tough stuff,'' Solarski said.

Langdon said they could see girls pole vaulting come before it was sanctioned, and started involving girls before it became a UIL event. He puts girls through the same workouts as boys with the only difference the size of the vaulting pole.

"We expect them to do what the boys do,'' Langdon said. "It's been proven that the more girls vault, the closer they get to guys. In my opinion, girls will work harder than guys. A lot of them have more gymnastics-style ability than the guys. The only thing that limits them is upper-body strength.''

Good vaulters need to have good speed - "you can't get a slow kid to state,'' Langdon said - upper body strength, and a dose of courage.

"They have to be fearless,'' he said. "That's one of the biggest keys. But at the same time, you need to be a little bit cautious so they understand what is happening to them.''

Within the three phases of the vault - the plant, the penetration and the finish - there are a number of aspects of the vault that turn getting over the bar into an algebraic equation.

There's still a fine line between technically sound and paralysis by analysis.

"They say you have to be stupid to be a pole vaulter,'' Allen said. "Coach Langdon says you can't think and vault at same time.''

Langdon will do most of the thinking. He learned much from former Tascosa vaulting coach Bill Henly and from former Abilene Christian coach Don Hood. Then it's what he can cobble together from clinics, Internet, tapes and books.

Then, he says, listening to what his vaulters tell him is crucial.

"What I realize is I don't know what I need to know,'' he said.

But enough to try to get vaulters No. 8 and No. 9 to state.