Rising above the crowd

Southeast Missouri has been a hot pocket for one of track and field's unusual disciplines -- the pole vault.

After all, rushing down a track carrying a pole more than twice your height and then attempting to clear a bar several feet higher than a basketball hoop isn't as easy as it sounds. And it doesn't sound easy.

But it's just another day at the track for the likes of Jackson's Amy West, Central's Lance Altenthal and Matt Willingham and Notre Dame's Bryce Willen. They're the latest in a line of all-state caliber pole vaulters that Southeast Missouri has produced over the last two decades.

"This area, Southeast Missouri, has kind of been a strong point in vaulting," Central pole vault coach Chuck Goodale said.

That bucks a trend where costs and safety concerns have made good vaulters more rare than, say, good sprinters.

Most recent in the list of state pole vault champions from the area is Jackson's Stuart McIntosh, who won in Class 4 in 2003. Lane Lohr was a two-time winner for Jackson in 1982 and 1983, and Central has had a pair of winners in Rich Schwepker (1986) and Jim Fox (1996).

Of the current crop, Willen is the leading candidate to claim a state championship. The Notre Dame senior is a two-time all-state pole vaulter, finishing seventh at the Class 2 state meet as a freshman and third last year in the Class 3 meet as a junior. Willen has qualified for the state meet three straight years.

Central, which produced an all-state pole vaulter on the boys side two years ago, has a pair of strong vaulters in Altenthal, a junior, and Willingham, a sophomore. All-state senior Jarred Harris is not competing for the Tigers this season.

On the girls side, Jackson's West was all-state last year with a sixth-place finish.

What do these athletes have in common? Like most good vaulters, they possess the combination of athleticism and confidence it takes to vault as high as 15 feet off the ground.

"You need speed, upper body strength and a lot of confidence," West said.

Added Willen: "Above all it's confidence. I'd say if you're unsure of yourself, bad things will happen. If you're confident and know what you're doing, that makes up for a lot."

Goodale, who took over as Central's vaulting coach this season, said there are a few things he looks for when recruiting vaulters.

"The thing about a vaulter, most of the time you just need one of your best athletes," he said. "The other thing is you need someone with the heart to do it and be a little courageous. Most all of them are very smart kids."

Of course, there is a lot more to pole vaulting than just being a good athlete. It is one of the most technical events in the sport. From the running approach to the planting of the poll, there are plenty of steps that go into making a good vault.

"I went to a camp last summer where the coach there handed out a book breaking down the parts of pole vaulting," Willen said. "That's how technical it gets."

The first few jumps can be a little nerve-wracking as vaulters learn the technique, but the area's top vaulters say any fears went away early on.

"It's a little scary, but mainly exciting and fun," West said.

Altenthal said his first jump was scary, but now he does not even think about it.

"Normally I'm blanked out. I don't think about anything," he said. "The more you think about it, the harder it gets."

Even after years of being in the sport, most pole vaulters still hear plenty of the same comments and questions from friends and even fellow athletes.

"They always ask, 'Aren't you scared?'" Altenthal said.

Added Willen: "A lot of people are like, 'I could never do that.'"