Eagles learn to fly as pole vault returns to BHS

BELEN —“Learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings,” Tom Petty once sang, concluding, “Coming down is the hardest thing.”

The lyrics may not be an ideal theme for pole vaulting, but they do seem to fit.

The song comes to mind at a recent Belen track practice while watching Eagles’ struggle to learn the nuances of the specialty — run down the approach while holding a long fiberglass pole, plant the instrument in a metal box, rock back, coil like a spring, propel the body over a bar and then land in a pit below.

“Scary” and “fun” are words most often used by the vaulters to describe the experience.

“It’s really fun to do,” said Nehemiah Sanchez, a BHS sophomore, who qualified for the state meet. “It’s really scary but it’s worth it. Just being up in the air, trying to get over.”

“We haven’t had pole vault for about four years now,” said Eagles’ coach Jared Smock. “This year, we had quite a few athletes who had an interest in it, so we tried to get it going. We kind of just started off slow, working our way into it.”

It was a good idea, considering none of the athletes or coaches had any experience. Coaches learned through the New Mexico Activities Association, by watching videos and asking lots of questions.

“It’s an interesting community,” Smock said about those who are passionate about it. “The pole vaulters, the coaches, are always willing to help out other teams. They’ll give our boys pointers and I’m just there to listen and learn from them as well.”

“I just wanted to try something new,” said Sanchez. “I thought it was interesting. We just kind of brought it up at practice.”

Plus, Sanchez said it would be neat to be in the group that brought it back to BHS.

Manny Valdez, another sophomore who also qualified for the state championships, admitted that at first, he was a bit hesitant.

“A little bit, when I saw a lot of videos, just fails, when they land on the concrete.”

But he has stuck with it.

“It’s just a fun thing to do — it’s like an adrenaline rush,” he said. “You don’t really think when you’re in the air.”

Pole vaulting combines speed, strength and courage.

“The scariest part, originally, was getting up in the air, and maintaining yourself and not falling over to the side,” Sanchez recalled.

Plenty of perseverance and practice are keys, with lots to coordinate.

“Get a good speed running up and then putting (the pole) in the hole, make sure to bend back and push over,” Sanchez explained. “Measuring your steps, getting the run up perfected, just helping with your lead leg, pushing it up to get over.”

It’s almost as challenging to watch.

“Stress — a lot of stress,” is how coach Smock puts it, “especially at the beginning. Now that a lot of them are getting it, getting the basics, getting into the pit, it’s a lot less stressful. There are those nerves in the back of your mind; what if they fall back or what if …”

Smock says to ease those concerns, safety is top of mind always, “making sure they understand the safety measures,” both athletes and coaches.

The skill level is improving, with Sanchez and Valdez the first to clear a height in a meet since pole vaulting returned. Each hope to earn points at the district meet and qualify for the State Championships.

Smock said this small group has become something of an Eagle inspiration.

“A lot of the athletes will stay after practice just to watch them, so I think it’s provided a little spark for the entire team.”