Jeremy Scott confident he can soar to new heights
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:23 pm
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Scott confident he can soar to new heights at U.S. trials
BY BOB HOLT
Posted on Friday, June 27, 2008
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At 6-9, Jeremy Scott might sound best suited to make an Olympic team in basketball, but Arkansas’ only conference pole vault champion in the past 60 years is hoping to earn a free trip to Beijing in track and field.
Scott, who won the SEC title in 2004 in his only season competing for the Razorbacks, will be among the vaulters in today’s qualifying round at the United States Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore.
“Right now I’m probably jumping the best I ever have consistently,” said Scott, who trains in Jonesboro with Earl Bell. “Things are definitely going in the right direction.” Scott cleared 18 feet, 10 inches earlier this season and believes he’s ready to clear the 19-foot mark for the first time, which might be what it takes to finish among the top three at the trials and make the U. S. team.
“I’m as confident as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m jumping well, and there’s still a lot more in the tank.” Bell, a f ive-time NCAA champion at Arkansas State and three-time Olympian who won a bronze medal in 1984, said Scott could be a surprise in the vault competition.
“Typically what happens at the Olympic trials — not always, but a lot of the time — is that two of the three guys who make the team are guys you’d expect, while the third guy is somebody that nobody picked to be there,” Bell said. “I think Jeremy could be that guy.
“ He’s pretty much on top of his game. He could very well jump 19 feet, and possibly higher, but it’s tough to put it all together on a single day.” Scott, 27, competed at Arkansas for his final outdoor season of college eligibility in the spring of 2004 after transferring from Allegheny (Pa. ) College, an NCAA Division III school where he was a two-time national champion and graduated with a degree in neuroscience. At Arkansas, Scott won the 1 SEC pole vault title at 18-0 / 2 to become the Razorbacks’ first conference champion in the event since 1948, when Guy Baker and M. L. Garing went 12-0 at the Southwest Conference meet. He took fourth at the NCAA Championships and helped the Razorbacks win the team title. Scott then moved to Jonesboro to work with Bell, whom he met in 2001 at Bell’s vaulting camp. Bell said he hasn’t seen a vaulter as tall as Scott since the 1980 s, when he competed against a 6-10 vaulter from Poland.
“Most vaulters are 5-10 to 6-4,” said Bell, who is 6-4. “Above that, they’re not usually pole vault material.
“ But [Scott ] is unique for a guy his size. He’ll never be a gymnast, but he handles his body weight really good and he’s got good balance. He’s as coordinated as a guy a foot shorter than him.” Scott, nicknamed “El Grande” by one of his training partners, said working under Bell’s direction has meant a lot to his career.
“He’s one of the best coaches not only in the country, but the world,” Scott said. “He’s kind of a tall guy, too, so he understands some of the struggles of being tall and the things you need to work on.” At a glance EVENT Pole vault AGE 27 (born May 1, 1981 ) COLLEGES Allegheny (Pa. ) College and Arkansas HIGH SCHOOL Norfolk, Neb. CURRENT RESIDENCE Jonesboro CAREER HIGHLIGHTS SEC champion and All-American as fifth-year senior at Arkansas in 2004.... Two-time NCAA Division III champion at Allegheny College.... Fourth at U. S. Indoors in 2005.
Scott confident he can soar to new heights at U.S. trials
BY BOB HOLT
Posted on Friday, June 27, 2008
Email this story | Printer-friendly version
At 6-9, Jeremy Scott might sound best suited to make an Olympic team in basketball, but Arkansas’ only conference pole vault champion in the past 60 years is hoping to earn a free trip to Beijing in track and field.
Scott, who won the SEC title in 2004 in his only season competing for the Razorbacks, will be among the vaulters in today’s qualifying round at the United States Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore.
“Right now I’m probably jumping the best I ever have consistently,” said Scott, who trains in Jonesboro with Earl Bell. “Things are definitely going in the right direction.” Scott cleared 18 feet, 10 inches earlier this season and believes he’s ready to clear the 19-foot mark for the first time, which might be what it takes to finish among the top three at the trials and make the U. S. team.
“I’m as confident as I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m jumping well, and there’s still a lot more in the tank.” Bell, a f ive-time NCAA champion at Arkansas State and three-time Olympian who won a bronze medal in 1984, said Scott could be a surprise in the vault competition.
“Typically what happens at the Olympic trials — not always, but a lot of the time — is that two of the three guys who make the team are guys you’d expect, while the third guy is somebody that nobody picked to be there,” Bell said. “I think Jeremy could be that guy.
“ He’s pretty much on top of his game. He could very well jump 19 feet, and possibly higher, but it’s tough to put it all together on a single day.” Scott, 27, competed at Arkansas for his final outdoor season of college eligibility in the spring of 2004 after transferring from Allegheny (Pa. ) College, an NCAA Division III school where he was a two-time national champion and graduated with a degree in neuroscience. At Arkansas, Scott won the 1 SEC pole vault title at 18-0 / 2 to become the Razorbacks’ first conference champion in the event since 1948, when Guy Baker and M. L. Garing went 12-0 at the Southwest Conference meet. He took fourth at the NCAA Championships and helped the Razorbacks win the team title. Scott then moved to Jonesboro to work with Bell, whom he met in 2001 at Bell’s vaulting camp. Bell said he hasn’t seen a vaulter as tall as Scott since the 1980 s, when he competed against a 6-10 vaulter from Poland.
“Most vaulters are 5-10 to 6-4,” said Bell, who is 6-4. “Above that, they’re not usually pole vault material.
“ But [Scott ] is unique for a guy his size. He’ll never be a gymnast, but he handles his body weight really good and he’s got good balance. He’s as coordinated as a guy a foot shorter than him.” Scott, nicknamed “El Grande” by one of his training partners, said working under Bell’s direction has meant a lot to his career.
“He’s one of the best coaches not only in the country, but the world,” Scott said. “He’s kind of a tall guy, too, so he understands some of the struggles of being tall and the things you need to work on.” At a glance EVENT Pole vault AGE 27 (born May 1, 1981 ) COLLEGES Allegheny (Pa. ) College and Arkansas HIGH SCHOOL Norfolk, Neb. CURRENT RESIDENCE Jonesboro CAREER HIGHLIGHTS SEC champion and All-American as fifth-year senior at Arkansas in 2004.... Two-time NCAA Division III champion at Allegheny College.... Fourth at U. S. Indoors in 2005.