Wadsworth pole vaulters clear of jealousy (OH)

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Wadsworth pole vaulters clear of jealousy
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Pat Galbincea
Plain Dealer Reporter
Track coaches know that Wadsworth has two athletes who are Division I state title contenders in the pole vault.

Yet, Grizzlies junior Kenny Owens, who cleared 14 feet, 6 inches at the indoor state championships to place second, and senior Kurtis Brown, who has cleared 13-6, were not good enough to make the varsity last season.

"We had five good pole vaulters last season," Owens said. "All of us could have made it to state, but only two of us could advance from the district."

Last season, Wadsworth had the state runner-up in Corey Schreck, and fellow senior Mitch Laubaugh placed fourth. This year, Owens and Brown figure it's their turn to steal the limelight.

"Kurtis and I are pushing each other in practice," Owens said.

"It's like a constant battle between us, but by no means a war. Our team is like a big family at Wadsworth. We support each other, and if someone performs better, there's no jealousy. If Kurtis does better than I do, then I figure he's where I need to be."

Owens said neither he nor Brown have set a height goal. What Wadsworth assistant coach Joe Turbett has stressed is perfecting their technique.

"First, you need good form going down the runway," Owens said.

"The second thing you need is to build up your level of strength, especially the abdominal muscles. Those are a huge key to a good vault.

"Take care of those two things, and everything else falls into place. I give a lot of credit to Joe Turbett. I wouldn't be who I am on or off the track without him."

Owens finished second in the state indoor meet to Daniel Garrett, a junior from Kings Mill Kings. Both cleared 14-6, but Garrett did it in one less try.

"That's another reason not to set a specific height for a goal," Owens said. "Past results don't mean success in the present. You need to train and constantly improve your technique to keep improving the heights you clear."

It's coming:

When the Copley girls won the recent Longstreth Relays, no one was more pleasantly surprised than Indians coach Matt Young.

"Our girls are very young," said Young. "We have five juniors and five seniors . . . the rest of the team is freshmen and sophomores. We are still a couple of years away from being a power. Wadsworth is still the elite team in our [Suburban] league."

Copley's best performer is senior Becky Rospotynski, the Division I state runner-up in the pole vault last season. She cleared 11-3, the same height Green senior Carrie Kayes cleared, but with one more miss. She also cleared 11-6 in indoor track last winter.

"Becky is also running hurdles and competing in the long jump," Young said. "That's helping to make her a stronger athlete."

Moore also has hopes that senior Carrie Dyer can qualify for state in the high jump.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

pgalbincea@plaind.com, 216-999-5159