Article on North American Pole Vault Championships

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Pole vault event stirs up Clovis fans, fun
Clovis' Weaver battles top vaulters today

By Donnie Q. Beasley
Independent Staff Writer

Published 08/06/04 08:55:19


Ten years ago Fresno State track and field coach Bob Fraley had an idea to promote his favorite sport of pole vaulting. He constructed an elevated runway right down the middle of Pollasky Avenue in Clovis, set up the pit on the corner of Pollasky and Fourth Street, and pumped a few thousand watts of musical power through a stack of speakers to hype the athletes and crowd.


(Dean Slagel / The Clovis Independent)

Clovis High graduate Russell Weaver cleared 17 feet to finish second in the men's development division last year at the pole vault event in Clovis.

The North American Pole Vault (NAPV) Championships have grown every year, and for good reason. The electricity of the event, that combines nearly 7,000 screaming fans with high-tempo music and bodies flying as high as the two-story rooftops in Old Town Clovis, is simply addicting. And it is free.

The action starts at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6, and similar to the past several years, pole vaulting fans will begin to line the streets hours before the competition begins.

"It has been a program that has caught national and international attention," said Fraley, who was named USA Track and Field's 2003 Nike Coach of the Year. "And it has great, great family appeal."

Indeed.

As athletes sprint down the 150-foot ramp, hundreds of children crowd around the back of the pit just feet from where the athletes land, clapping and screaming for the men and women to clear the bar. After each vault, the athletes high-five the young fans and even toss T-shirts and pieces of autographed poles that have been cut into foot-long sections.

When it's over, the athletes stick around until every fan has had a chance to get an autograph or just shake hands with some of the top vaulters in the world. By the time the streets of Clovis are again empty, many hearts have been filled, and some children go home with a new idol.

Russell Weaver, who graduated from Clovis High in 2001, was influenced by the world-class athletes and is now a senior vaulter on the Fresno State track and field team. In his junior year, Weaver advanced to the NCAA Regionals, finishing 11th overall, and won the pole vault competition at the WAC Outdoor Championships with a vault of 16-6. He was also the WAC indoor 2002 champion clearing 16 feet, 8 inches.

"When I first saw all those guys, I thought, 'those guys are so cool.' It was like an idol type of thing," Weaver said. "Now that I am a vaulter, I feel like there might be a kid out there thinking the same thing. The crowd is absolutely amazing."

Weaver competed in downtown Clovis for the first time last year, finishing second in the men's developmental bracket with a vault of 17-0. Scott Slover won the NAPV championship for the third straight time last year, clearing 18-4.

Slover will defend his title again this year, but faces stiff competition from Jim Davis, who recently finished seventh at the United States Olympic trials at 18-101/4. Davis' personal best (a Fresno State record) of 19-1/4 just edges out Slover's personal best of 18-9. Justin Norbert, Keenan King and Curt Hanna were also Olympic Trial finalists and will compete in Clovis. But winning is not the No. 1 priority at this showcase event.

"The competition is great, but it's not really the competition that I am going to get pumped over," Davis said. "It's going to be those 7,000 people screaming and rooting us on. We are all competitors, but we are also all best friends."

The icing on the cake for Davis is the opportunity he has to interact with youngsters and possibly influence them to become part of the vaulting community.

"If I can bring somebody new into the pole vaulting community, that is good for them and good for the sport," he said. "And it is better for me because I get to hang out with more cool people who like to jump over the bar like I do. Seeing the kids out there having so much fun makes you think that maybe they will try it, and who knows, maybe we will inspire the next record holder."

Tracy O'Hara is favored in the women's division. The former UCLA star placed fifth at the Olympic Trials this year, and has a personal-record vault of 15-1. She will be chased by Jill Starkey, whose record is 14-1.

A total of 24 athletes from 11 states will compete, and although America's very best vaulters are preparing for the Olympics and will not grace the streets this time around, some of this year's competitors will likely be chasing their Olympic dreams in four years. Several athletes who have competed in Clovis have gone on to the Olympics, including Stacy Dragila, who was a 2000 Olympic gold medalist.

"This has been something that has really helped develop pole vaulting in the United States," Fraley said. "This year is special because we turn over the leaf. A lot of the vaulters have gotten older, so what you are going to see this year are the emerging athletes -- the ones who will develop into being the great vaulters in the year 2008."