August Kiles of Tamalpias High clears the bar at 16 feet to win the pole vault at the Meet of Champions in Berkeley on May 31. Kiles tied for third place on Saturday at the state meet in Clovis. August Kiles of Tamalpias High won the pole vault at the Meet of Champions at Edwards Field at UC Berkeley on May 30, clearing the bar at 16 feet even, and qualifying for the CIF state track and field meet. At the state meet, Kiles cleared 16 feet again, finishing in a tie for third place. Carl Johansson of Lutheran High in Orange County won the state title with a vault of 17 feet. Pole vaulting is more than just running and throwing yourself over a bar with a pole, as Kiles demonstrated at Edwards Field in Berkeley. Each vault was preceded by a discussion with his coach. Decisions are made about which pole to use, or where to start your run. The bar isn’t just moved higher, the pole vaulter can have it adjusted closer or farther back from where the pole sticks in the ground. Pole vaulting is a mathematical problem just as much as it’s physical. Before he cleared 16 feet, Kiles decided to switch to another pole. Each attempt at the bar is a little different, and Kiles likes to figure it out. “That’s why I like it so much,” Kiles said. “That, and you get to fly 16 feet up in the air.” more
