Male Athlete of the Week
Of the many events offered in high school track & field, the pole vault tends to be one of the most ignored.
A lack of knowledge among the coaches and the “fear of flight” among athletes are two contributing factors.
As a team, the Ida Baker Bulldogs are making a stronger commitment to the event with junior Andrew Haynes leading the charge this year.
The Daily Breeze Male Athlete of the Week set a school record of 11 feet, 6 inches last Monday, capturing the title at the LCAC Track & Field Meet. He led a strong overall showing by the Bulldogs, which included three top-five spots.
It was even more significant since the Bulldogs failed to receive a point in the pole vault in any meet last season.
“I think we all start in the dark when it comes to pole vault,” Baker coach Dan Butler said. “We finally decided to do our homework. We knew it was a weak event in districts and we wanted to become stronger at it. The kids have also gotten over that fear factor.”
Haynes, who also plays football at Baker, is in his third season of vaulting. He also specializes in the 110 and 300 hurdles.
The combination of speed and strength helped Haynes, initially, and he has added more confidence since he first started.
“They pretty much threw me in it,” he said. “At first it was pretty difficult as I’m sure it is for everybody. The key is being able to work hard and having a lot of speed and strength.”
Coming off his best performance in the event, Haynes is looking ahead to the district meet.
Baker assistant coach Anthony Farinella, who works with pole vaulters, said 12 feet probably is the height needed to be a factor at district. He noted that core work and learning to transition linear speed to vertical speed are areas of focus in practice.
In addition to Haynes, Frank Wilson placed third at the LCAC meet and Josh Schwartz tied for fourth.
Honorable mentions:
Michael Zunino, senior, Mariner baseball: Hit two home runs in a 10-0 win over Lehigh and added a three-run shot in a 10-2 win over North Fort Myers.
Joseph Byrd, junior, Ida Baker track and field: Ran a time of 10.40 seconds to win the 100-meter dash at the LCAC Meet and finished second in the 200.