Drake Relays adds indoor pole vaulting competition at mall

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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 7/0/NEWS01

Pole vaulters are shopper-stoppers at Jordan Cre
BY JARED STRONG • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • APRIL 24, 2008

Photos: See the pole vaulters show their stuff at Jordan Creek Town Center
Video: Flying through the air -- at the mall



The pink flower tattoo on Ella Apana-Stipe's left cheek stretched taller and taller with each of the athlete's sprinting steps inside Jordan Creek Town Center on Wednesday night.

The Norwalk 4-year-old's mouth was agape by the time the Drake Relays pole vaulter successfully launched himself over a flimsy bar about 17 feet above the ground.

Hundreds of people cheered in the main atrium of the mall, where business slowed to a halt in nearby stores as the two-hour athletic spectacle elapsed in West Des Moines.

Relays organizers thought this would be the perfect way to kick off the 99th annual track-and-field event. They hoped to engage more people by moving the vaulting event away from Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Ella and her grandfather Mel Apana of Cumming, who has missed the Relays only once in the last 43 years, arrived about 10 minutes before the vault competition.

The pair had a difficult time finding a good place to stand, so Ella sat on her grandpa's shoulders as he stood on the second floor.

Some fans arrived more than an hour early to get a prime spot for viewing.

In fact, the only place where a latecomer could get close to the action was in front of the Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store, where the aroma of cologne choked the air.

The 130-foot runway was ringed by onlookers, who dangled their arms over the railings that separated them from the athletes.

The pole vault bar, which was about level with spectators' feet on the second floor, was just a few yards from the edge of the upper level of the mall. Apana thought it was a little too close for comfort.

"It's got to psych them out a little," he said of the athletes.

On the ground level, viewers were allowed to stand in areas that had been marked off by blue masking tape, and it was hard to find an empty space.

People griped about the drove of security guards who spent their entire time telling spectators to move if they weren't standing in one of the designated areas.

Rock music played on the loudspeakers as another vaulter readied himself. The crowd clapped in unison as he sprinted down the runway.

Inside Bath & Body Works, employee Virginia Hoffelmeyer listened for the "painful" sounds of the athletes falling 18 feet to a padded mat. She wasn't allowed to watch the event while on the clock, even though the store had no customers.

"The mall people told us it was going to be busy," she said. "Maybe it will be after the competition."

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http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/PhotoAlb ... ID=1076986

Some pictures

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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... /-1/LIFE04

Drake Relays: Pole vaulting in mall draws fans, shoppers
BY ANDREW LOGUE • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • APRIL 24, 2008
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The floor shook. Ears were ringing. And Derek Miles was loving every minute of it.

“I’ve jumped in a lot of different venues,â€