http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/a ... hits-mark/
Street Vault field hits mark
By KEVIN PATTON
, Gleaner staff
831-8350 *
kpatton@thegleaner.com
Friday, August 10, 2007
Organizers are expecting a field of more than 30 competitors, including a pair in their 70s, in Saturday's inaugural Jammin' and Jumpin' Street Vault on Henderson's riverfront.
Keith Hobson, one of the organizers of the pole vault event for the Spottsville Monsters Track Club, said that 31 competitors had paid their entry fees as of Thursday night and he expected some more last-minute entries on Saturday morning.
"For our first year of doing this, we weren't sure what to expect. Our goal was 30, and we've exceed our goal," Hobson said.
Vaulters will come from near and far for what is believed to be the first-ever such event to be held in the state. Among the competitors are 74-year-old Harvey DeLoach of Cottleville, Mo., and 73-year-old John Sharp of Danville, Ind. Sharp finished second in his age division in the National Senior Games early in the summer in Louisville with a vault of 8-6 1/2.
The senior vaulters will compete in the masters division for competitors 35-and-over but could still compete against vaulters half their age.
Among the top vaulters slated to compete are University of Oklahoma All-American Chip Heuser, former NAIA national champion Jason Scott and University of Missouri freshman Brian Hancock.
Heuser, a Louisville native, enters with the top personal best of 18-1. Scott, who attends Cedarville University in Ohio, has vaulted 17-9. Hancock of Monroe City, Mo., has cleared 17-0.
Two-time Kentucky 1-A state champion Michael Seaman of Bardstown, who is bound for the University of Tennessee, is expected to participate.
Four local vaulters are slated to participate -- Kevin Ferguson, Adam Hobson, Evan Pitt and Chad Smith. Ferguson and Smith both won outdoor state titles for Henderson County, while Hobson won last year's indoor state title.
The competition, which will be held on Water Street between Second and Third streets, will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the 14-and-under and 15-16 age divisions. The 17-18-year-old division will begin at approximately 11 a.m., followed by the college division for high school graduates through age 34 at approximately 12:30 p.m. The master's division is set for 2 p.m. with the open competition scheduled to begin around 3:30 p.m.
The competition is held in conjunction with the annual Bluegrass in the Park festival in Audubon Mill Park.