Special Breed Pole vaulters are one of most unique athletes in all of sports
Freaky. Crazy. Different.
They are words that Butler County area pole vaulters have used to describe themselves.
They are apt.
Some other traits any pole vaulter worth his or her weight in rosin needs: courage, resiliency and a little bit of thrill-seeking.
“We're all somewhat crazy,” said Moniteau junior Kendall Grossman, who added another PIAA Track and Field Championship medal to her collection with a sixth-place finish last weekend in Shippsenburg.
She already had two second-place finishes as a freshman and a sophomore.
“This is so hard to do,” Grossman added. “I think because of that ... we all have a certain mutual respect for each other. You can't hate another person who does this.”
Grossman was one of six Butler County vaulters to advance to the state meet, along with her teammate Kyle Norling, Butler's Jack Codispot, Andrew Kline and Samantha Penrod and Seneca Valley's Katelyn Caccamo.
For Grossman, the pole vault is a sort of family cottage industry. At least nine in the Grossman clan have competed in the event, all at Moniteau.
Kendall's grandfather, Frank “Joe” Grossman was the first. Back in the days of steel poles in the late 1960s, he excelled.
Kendall's father, Matt, was one of the most accomplished, setting the school record in the event at 14 feet, 1 inch in 1994. That record stood until this year when Norling snapped it.
Matt vaulted at the same time as his cousin, Chad Grossman, who also cleared 14 feet in 1994.
Matt is currently the pole vault coach for the Warriors, so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to excel at perhaps the most difficult event in high school track and field.
“It takes the mentality of an extreme-sport athlete,” Matt Grossman said. “It takes the ability of a great athlete and you need the strength of a superb athlete. It takes a lot. But the biggest thing is they have to buy into doing it. You have to learn the technique.”Matt took 20 years off before returning to the sport.“I forgot how much I missed it,” Matt said. “It takes a unique breed to do the pole vault. They are all hard-working people and they have guts. If I was doing a job interview and I asked someone what sports they did and they said they did the pole vault, I would know this person has guts to do what needs to be done.”Not everyone can do it.But the few who can say there's nothing like it.“You have to do this and this and this and this and you have to do it all right,” said Norling, who went from an 11-foot vaulter to a 14-foot one in a short period of time at Moniteau. “You just have to focus on one thing at a time and get it all right. Before I jump, I just kind of clear my head. I just don't think about what could go wrong. When you clear a height, no better feeling.”There is a special bond that develops between vaulters.The event can be long with lots of down time between jumps. The practice schedule is also grueling.Pole vaulters spend a lot of time with other pole vaulters.
“We help each other out,” said Butler senior Jack Codispot, who also came home with a state medal last weekend. He will continue his education and vaulting career at Slippery Rock University. “We're all kind to each other. We all encourage each other. Every little bit helps.“We're all pretty similar,” Codispot added. “We're all out here doing the same thing. We're all pretty freaky. We'll stand there and watch each other go and cheer each other on. You definitely make some friends.”Norling said he's never had as much fun as spending time in practice with Kendall Grossman and Eddie Young.Kendall feels the same.“When I first met Kyle, I was like there's no way I'm going to like this kid,” Kendall said, laughing. “But there are times when we laugh so hard we can't breathe.”For the Grossmans, the pole vault was also a valuable bonding time between father and daughter.It's something Matt will always cherish.“There's no better joy than to see you daughter do something and be a part of it,” Matt said. “I have a 17-year-old daughter who still hangs out with her dad. That's pretty awesome.”
