Josh Kirkpatrick article (ONT, Canada)

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http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Sports/High ... 2-sun.html

People at Play
Tue, April 18, 2006
Steve Coad takes a look at local people involved in the world of sports.
By STEVE COAD, FREE PRESS SPORTS REPORTER


Josh Kirkpatrick is vaulting from one great situation to another.

The 18-year-old Londoner, a Saunders secondary school grad and star pole vaulter with the St. Thomas Legion Track and Field Club, will attend the Ivy League's Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on an athletic grant-in-aid beginning in August.

"I can't wait," Kirkpatrick says.

He'll study business and economics, the same course NHL president Gary Bettman took as a Cornell undergrad all those years ago.

"It's the Ivy League, so academics are the most important thing. I want a good education," Kirkpatrick says.

He's sure he's found a good athletic environment as well.

"The (track and field) program is strong," Kirkpatrick says. Since the hiring of head coach Nathan Taylor five years ago, the Big Red men's team has jumped into the top 25 among NCAA Division 1 schools.

"This is a good opportunity for me," says Kirkpatrick, whose pole vault personal best is 4.70 metres. "Coach Taylor is a standup guy. He's been around and I'm looking forward to spending the next few years working with him."

While it's hard not to look ahead, Kirkpatrick isn't forgetting he has received lots of help right here at home.

He points to a couple of coaches in particular -- Harry Stantsos, head coach at St. Thomas Legion, and renowned pole vault mentor Keith Heard, who juggles a variety of local coaching assignments.

"I wouldn't be where I am without him," Kirkpatrick waxes about Stantsos, a Londoner and a fixture on the provincial track and field scene.

"He demands 100 per cent because he wants the best for you. Harry's the perfect mix of fun and hard work.

"With Harry and Keith Heard, I have two of the best coaches in Canada."

Kirkpatrick says he's coming off a good indoor season and eager to get at the outdoor junior (19 and under) campaign.

"Everything's clicking," Kirkpatrick says in assessing the state of his vaulting.

While he's focused firmly on pole vault these days, Kirkpatrick is hardly a one-sport wonder. During his high school days at Saunders, he was a member of three straight Ontario AAAA/AAA championship-winning volleyball teams (2003-05).