Kirk Cooper Article (CO)

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http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/prep_ ... 69,00.html

Cooper soars in vault
Smoky Hill athlete jumps from third last season to first

By Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News
May 21, 2005

AURORA - Smoky Hill's Kirk Cooper must have found the temperature a bit cooler at altitude during the pole vault competition Friday at the Class 5A state track and field championships at Legacy Stadium.

In what was one of the finest competitive fields in state meet history, Cooper, a third-place finisher last season, came through with the win, vaulting 14 feet, 6 inches.

While he had cleared that height previously this season, there was no guarantee he was going to win the meet. There were 10 vaulters in the competition after the field had reached a height of 13-6; six still were jumping at 14 feet.

After that height was posted, only Cooper and eventual runner-up Eric Mattison of Doherty emerged.

Cooper and Mattison both went out on three attempts at 15 feet, but Cooper gained the win with fewer misses at 14-6. Defending champion Levi Gallas of Chaparral finished third, going out at 14-6.

"I just about had the 15-foot (vault); I just needed to get the arm back on that last attempt," Cooper said. "That would have absolutely made my year had I made the 15. But it is also 10 points for the team, and that's going to help.

"Everyone was a step higher than I thought they would be," Cooper said. "It made me work harder and almost got me over 15 feet. The competition (Friday) pushes everybody."

Mattison had no idea he would do as well as he did after a start of the day that he called his worst of the season.

"But it certainly ended up one of my best ever," said Mattison, a junior who had set his personal best of 14-0 at regionals last week. "Once we got to 14 feet, and with six guys left, I was getting a little nervous. But I was the first one over 14 and feeling a lot better."