MILFORD, Conn. — Story by Sydney Simpson
When you think of track and field, pole vault is most likely the last event to come to mind.
This difficult event involves athletes attempting to catapult themselves over a high bar with the aid of a long, flexible pole. Due to the odd nature of the event, it takes a lot of hard work and practice for athletes to actually get good at it.
Senior pole vaulter Aidan King, from Jonathan Law High School in Milford, seems to have this art perfected after earning the title of first team all SCC after only one season of being on the track and field team.
“I originally got into pole vaulting when I didn’t even do track,” King said. “I went to the state meet for Class M my sophomore year and I saw a kid vaulting and he was really incredible and it made me want to try it. I’m also pretty slow so I thought maybe this is the event for me. I started doing it and I fell in love with it. I think about it all the time and I’m always training and I ended up getting pretty decent at it.”
Jonathan Law track and field head coach Mr. Beler agrees that Aidan has come a long way in the difficult event in a short amount of time.
“The year Aiden King had has been awesome,” Beler said. “This year I have just seen an unbelievable turnaround. We’ve known him to be a great leader, but what he has done this year in the pole vault has been miraculous. This is a very hard sport to pick up, and then in one year to develop himself, not only to be one of the best kids on our team, but to be SCC champ, second place at Class M, All-State. I can’t say enough about the year he’s had. It all comes down to work ethic, dedication, and he’s one of the best leaders I’ve seen here at Jonathan Law High School.”
Aidan and the rest of the pole vaulters in the CIAC are hoping to continue raising the bar this year for future meets and for the outdoor track season.
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