Dan Tollefson article (MN)

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http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/dulut ... 375864.htm

Foundation set for bigger plans
BOYS TRACK & FIELD: Athletes have a variety of ways in preparing for a successful season.
BY CHRISTA LAWLER
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
It takes a certain mentality to fling yourself over a 13-foot-high bar and onto a mat.

Thrill seeker. Daredevil. X-gamer.

Unfortunately, it's the same mentality that can impede a high school senior's pole vault career.

Esko's Dan Tollefson was driving his snowmobile through ditches on Canosia Road in February when he wiped out going off a jump, breaking his left collar bone.

"I like adrenaline stuff," Tollefson said.

He has spent the early part of the track and field season healing, and doesn't expect to compete in his premiere event for at least another week.

A solid collar bone, it seems, is a prerequisite for vaulting.

"It's kind of really important," Tollefson said. "I can't do a full vault until it is fully healed."

Tollefson suffered some bad luck last year at the Minnesota Class A track and field meet at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. He broke his pole during warmups. The other poles he brought to the meet were for outdoor vaulting, specifically with a tail wind. But the athletes were competing indoors, and he was unable to clear a height.

"He's been a little bit snake bit," Esko coach Jerry Zimny said.

As a sophomore, Tollefson finished ninth.

"He's got really good technique," Zimny said. "He works at it. It's not just a season thing. Weight training in the summer and winter, football in the fall."

Tollefson's goals this season include vaulting in the high 14-foot range and a return trip to the state meet. He also competes in sprint relays.