Bertoli Brothers Article (IN)
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:11 am
http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/0 ... l/hs01.txt
Brothers setting bar even higher
Bertoli brothers could compete in eight events for Terre Haute South
On track to success: Ben (left) and Anthony Bertoli are timed during conditioning Wednesday on Terre Haute South's track by Coach Jeff Martin (right). (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
By Andy Amey/Tribune-Star
Anthony Bertoli, the older - and perhaps more goal-oriented - brother, was disappointed by his recent indoor track season, despite the fact that it left him ranked 11th in the nation and first in the state among high school pole vaulters.
Ben Bertoli, the younger - but taller, he's happy to point out - brother, was tickled pink by his early spring competitions in which he achieved personal bests in long jump twice in a row.
Jeff Martin, the boys track and field coach at Terre Haute South, sits back and smiles.
There will be a few events at a South boys track meet this spring that won't have a Bertoli in them, but not many.
Anthony, who has already signed a national letter of intent to compete next year at Indiana State, is also a top 400-meter runner and relay participant for the Braves.
Asked about his fourth event, he noted that he's enjoyed the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He also ran cross country in the fall, meaning longer distances could be a possibility. But his second-favorite event after pole vault, he said, is "probably javelin, even though they don't have it in high school [in Indiana]. I enjoyed that over the summer when I was competing in decathlons."
Ben's favorite event is long jump, where he's already nearing the 21-foot mark, but he's also a high jumper and runs the 200-meter dash. His fourth event this spring is still undecided, he said, but added, "Last year I was with the short sprinters [during practice] but this year I'm in the 400-800 group."
The brothers don't deliberately avoid each other's events, they said. If they both happen to run the 400 this spring, for example, they won't be tackling each other coming down the home stretch to keep the other from winning. ("He'd be too far away anyway," Anthony said of that possible scenario.)
But finding ways to use them won't be a problem, Martin promises.
"From a coaching standpoint, I couldn't ask for any more gifted athletes than these young men are," he said recently. "Anthony, right now, could be our No. 1 man in just about every event, and yet Ben has maybe even more athletic ability, with the potential to reach his goals and maybe higher goals.
Checking times: Ben and Anthony Bertoli look at the stopwatch with Coach Jeff Martin during Wednesday's conditioning at Terre Haute South. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
"And they're such team players, they will do whatever I ask and hardly ask why," the coach continued. "Their teammates feed off that energy; they can see [the Bertolis] sacrifice their personal goals to help the team."
Anthony's one-year cross country career is an example of that, Martin noted. "He'd played soccer for three years, but he went out for cross country to help [his teammates] win a sectional [which the Braves did]."
No good deed goes unrewarded, Anthony says.
"I think cross country helped me with the 400 and with my vault," he said. "My endurance is a lot better."
Even though he's a two-time age-group All-America who cleared a school-record 15 feet, 7 inches on March 19 at the NSR State Indoor Classic, Anthony is a relative newcomer to pole vaulting.
Taking a break: Ben (left) and Anthony Bertoli take a short break after some conditioning during track practice Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
"Me and a friend walked by the pole vault during a meet my freshman year and said, 'We'll gave that a whirl,' " he said. "Since then Martin has really taken me under his wing. We've learned the vault together."
That's almost literally true. Since November, in fact, vaulter and coach have worked indoors at least two nights per week.
"Vaulting is something where the more you do it, the better you become," Martin said.
"It takes all kinds of strengths," Anthony said. "You have to be fast, have a strong upper body, be coordinated - it encompasses everything."
Ben has been a long jumper and high jumper since sixth grade, and anticipated progress this spring before surprising even himself.
"I figured I would jump better," he said of his first indoor competition of the season, "but I didn't think I would add seven inches [to my personal best] on my first jump."
Ben likes long jump, he says, because "it's more fun than high jump or pole vault [he's cleared 10-6 in practice]. There's no bar to knock off."
Not knocking the bar off is the key, his older brother said.
"It's a rush coming down from 15 or 16 feet in the air knowing you've cleared that bar," Anthony said.
Although disappointed with his indoor season - "I didn't hit my goal in either event," he said. "I wanted 16 feet [in pole vault] and a 50-second relay split." - Anthony has bigger goals in mind for the outdoor season.
"I'd like to go 17 feet at the state meet," he said. "That would break the [state] record by three inches. And just win every other meet."
Ben's goals, the younger brother said, are "22 feet [in long jump] this year, and just make it to state."
And Martin, as mentioned, keeps smiling.
"You couldn't ask for better kids, athletics-wise and as people too," he concluded.
Brothers setting bar even higher
Bertoli brothers could compete in eight events for Terre Haute South
On track to success: Ben (left) and Anthony Bertoli are timed during conditioning Wednesday on Terre Haute South's track by Coach Jeff Martin (right). (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
By Andy Amey/Tribune-Star
Anthony Bertoli, the older - and perhaps more goal-oriented - brother, was disappointed by his recent indoor track season, despite the fact that it left him ranked 11th in the nation and first in the state among high school pole vaulters.
Ben Bertoli, the younger - but taller, he's happy to point out - brother, was tickled pink by his early spring competitions in which he achieved personal bests in long jump twice in a row.
Jeff Martin, the boys track and field coach at Terre Haute South, sits back and smiles.
There will be a few events at a South boys track meet this spring that won't have a Bertoli in them, but not many.
Anthony, who has already signed a national letter of intent to compete next year at Indiana State, is also a top 400-meter runner and relay participant for the Braves.
Asked about his fourth event, he noted that he's enjoyed the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He also ran cross country in the fall, meaning longer distances could be a possibility. But his second-favorite event after pole vault, he said, is "probably javelin, even though they don't have it in high school [in Indiana]. I enjoyed that over the summer when I was competing in decathlons."
Ben's favorite event is long jump, where he's already nearing the 21-foot mark, but he's also a high jumper and runs the 200-meter dash. His fourth event this spring is still undecided, he said, but added, "Last year I was with the short sprinters [during practice] but this year I'm in the 400-800 group."
The brothers don't deliberately avoid each other's events, they said. If they both happen to run the 400 this spring, for example, they won't be tackling each other coming down the home stretch to keep the other from winning. ("He'd be too far away anyway," Anthony said of that possible scenario.)
But finding ways to use them won't be a problem, Martin promises.
"From a coaching standpoint, I couldn't ask for any more gifted athletes than these young men are," he said recently. "Anthony, right now, could be our No. 1 man in just about every event, and yet Ben has maybe even more athletic ability, with the potential to reach his goals and maybe higher goals.
Checking times: Ben and Anthony Bertoli look at the stopwatch with Coach Jeff Martin during Wednesday's conditioning at Terre Haute South. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
"And they're such team players, they will do whatever I ask and hardly ask why," the coach continued. "Their teammates feed off that energy; they can see [the Bertolis] sacrifice their personal goals to help the team."
Anthony's one-year cross country career is an example of that, Martin noted. "He'd played soccer for three years, but he went out for cross country to help [his teammates] win a sectional [which the Braves did]."
No good deed goes unrewarded, Anthony says.
"I think cross country helped me with the 400 and with my vault," he said. "My endurance is a lot better."
Even though he's a two-time age-group All-America who cleared a school-record 15 feet, 7 inches on March 19 at the NSR State Indoor Classic, Anthony is a relative newcomer to pole vaulting.
Taking a break: Ben (left) and Anthony Bertoli take a short break after some conditioning during track practice Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
"Me and a friend walked by the pole vault during a meet my freshman year and said, 'We'll gave that a whirl,' " he said. "Since then Martin has really taken me under his wing. We've learned the vault together."
That's almost literally true. Since November, in fact, vaulter and coach have worked indoors at least two nights per week.
"Vaulting is something where the more you do it, the better you become," Martin said.
"It takes all kinds of strengths," Anthony said. "You have to be fast, have a strong upper body, be coordinated - it encompasses everything."
Ben has been a long jumper and high jumper since sixth grade, and anticipated progress this spring before surprising even himself.
"I figured I would jump better," he said of his first indoor competition of the season, "but I didn't think I would add seven inches [to my personal best] on my first jump."
Ben likes long jump, he says, because "it's more fun than high jump or pole vault [he's cleared 10-6 in practice]. There's no bar to knock off."
Not knocking the bar off is the key, his older brother said.
"It's a rush coming down from 15 or 16 feet in the air knowing you've cleared that bar," Anthony said.
Although disappointed with his indoor season - "I didn't hit my goal in either event," he said. "I wanted 16 feet [in pole vault] and a 50-second relay split." - Anthony has bigger goals in mind for the outdoor season.
"I'd like to go 17 feet at the state meet," he said. "That would break the [state] record by three inches. And just win every other meet."
Ben's goals, the younger brother said, are "22 feet [in long jump] this year, and just make it to state."
And Martin, as mentioned, keeps smiling.
"You couldn't ask for better kids, athletics-wise and as people too," he concluded.