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Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Pole Vaulters Raise The Bar

PANAMA CITY – Three Bay County pole vaulters have a no-fear approach and an athletic knack to hurl themselves like cannon balls over a bar that puts them among the best in the area.  There also doing it all without the help of a full-time coach.

Trevor Curd (Mosley), Matt McCollum (Mosley) and Austin Campbell (Bay) had no intentions of competing in the sport that involves a 14-foot fiberglass pole when they started high school.

“I was out [at Tommy Oliver Stadium] one day, running some laps,” Campbell said.  “I saw some guys over here doing some pole vaulting.  I thought that’d be pretty fun.”

Now it seems like these three take the top three spots in every meet.  In fact, Curd has placed first in eight of the nine meets, with a personal record of 14 feet.  Majority of the time, McCollum follows second and Campbell third.

“A lot of kids give up, and say ‘I can’t do it.  It’s too hard,’” Curd said.  “But a lot of practice is what it takes.”

Lots of practice and you have to be a thrill-seeker.

“You gotta have a lot of courage when you come out here,” Campbell said.

“You have to have the confidence,” McCollum added.  “It’s hesitation that gets you.”

The boys have been without a coach the entire season.  Just last week, they traveled to Port St. Joe to work with Coach Keith Chiles.  Experience is necessary in this sport, because consequences can severely hurt someone.

“Oh, there are dangers,” Campbell said.  “A lot of times if you’re dealing with a new pole, you could hesitate and it can shoot you over the track.”

“Some people will be like, ‘I got you.  Then when you come back down then land on the side of the run way,” McCollum said.

“It definitely takes a lot of dedication,” Curd said.  “Somebody that’s willing to put in a lot of time and practice. Just not give up.”

The three pole vaulters place first, second and third in the county track meet on Wednesday.  The next event is the district meet on April 18.

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