EUGENE, Oregon — Four weeks ago, Reedsport’s Hayden Hinshaw was in great pain after tearing a ligament in his ankle — and tearing off a small chunk of bone in the process. Hinshaw was all smiles Thursday after winning the Class 2A state title in the pole vault. “It’s awesome,” said Hinshaw, who set a new personal best by clearing 13 feet to win the competition. Hinshaw was only cleared to return to competition the night before the district meet, and had to give up all other events, including the triple jump, in favor of the pole vault, which is his favorite. Then when the event started at Hayward Field, he had an early miss at 10 feet. But Hinshaw settled down and had no trouble clearing the bar until he got to 12 feet. At that point, Hinshaw trailed Stephen Howes of Elgin, who cleared the bar on his first try. But Howes cleared just one more height and Hinshaw kept raising the bar, getting over 12-3 and 12-6 on his first attempts. He missed his first try at both 12-9 and 13-0 before clearing each on his second try. Hinshaw placed fifth in the event his first two years at state. His previous best was 12-1, meaning he improved by nearly a foot Thursday. “It’s a good meet to do it,” he said. Hinshaw said he was helped some by tips from Reedsport’s last state champion in the event, Lindsey Wright, who is home from her first year of school at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. more
