Saturday afternoon at the pole vault

DOVER-FOXCROFT — One of the most interesting yet challenging parts of a track and field meet for any sportswriter is that each individual event provides a storyline all its own.

Which one is more important than the others on a given day, the javelin or the long jump, the discus or the dashes? That’s often utterly subjective, save for when a record is being threatened or the team competition is to be resolved.

Meets held in late April or early May are mostly developmental in nature, with athletes still rounding into form or experimenting in different events with still a month to go before conference meets and then state championships that this year are scheduled for June 4.

Observer photo/Ernie Clark

NEAR THE TOP OF THE POLES — Foxcroft Academy senior Zach Caron finished in second place in the pole vault during a home meet on April 30. Caron, who picked up the event this season, cleared a height of 11 feet, 6 inches, helping the Ponies finish in first place out of 12 teams with the team’s 184 points more than double that of meet runner-up Fort Fairfield.

Foxcroft Academy hosted a 12-team meet at Oakes Field on Saturday afternoon welcoming area rivals Penquis Valley of Milo, Greenville and Central of Corinth along with Bucksport, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and six Aroostook County schools — Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Houlton, Washburn, Greater Houlton Christian Academy and East Grand of Danforth.

After scanning the various event locales around the field, I finally settled on watching the pole vault for no other reason than a personal fascination with the event since back when the academy had a five-lane cinder track around its football field instead of the state-of-the-art eight-lane facility that has become a regular home of major regional and statewide competitions — including this year’s Class C state meet.

Just four competitors took part in the boys pole vault, event, but the battle for victory on this sun-splashed day provided a contrast in motivations.

The favorite was Bucksport junior Johann Bradley, the reigning Class B indoor state champion in the event, while his primary challenger turned out to be Foxcroft Academy’s Zach Caron, who was competing in just his third career pole vault competition — all this spring after transferring from Dexter for his senior year of high school.

“I’d always had an interest in the pole vault, but we didn’t have a pit at Dexter,” Caron said. “When I came here I thought about it, and then when the season started and I went to ask my coach (Rob Weber) about it, he already had me penciled in.”

While Bradley displayed the fluidity of a veteran pole vaulter, Caron used two different poles during the competition and at each preliminary height figured out a way to clear the bar and experience what he described as the rush of “free fall.”

Bradley entered the competition much later than Caron, making his first attempt at 11 feet. He cleared it with relative ease, as did Caron to equal what had been his personal best in the event.

Both also went on to clear 11-6 before being thwarted at 12 feet, leaving Bradley the winner by tiebreaker and Caron also satisfied with his effort.

“I wanted to clear at least 11 feet again,” he said.

Foxcroft convincingly won the boys meet with 184 points, more than double second-place Fort Fairfield’s 78. Presque Isle edged Central 111-94 in the girls competition with Foxcroft fifth at 54 points

If Caron, a state championship wrestler for Foxcroft this past winter, can continue to improve in the pole vault that may provide some important points come late May and early June as the Ponies’ boys squad battles for Penobscot Valley Conference and state team honors.

Foxcroft finished third in last year’s Class C outdoor state meet and second this February in the Class B indoor state championships.

And while the Ponies’ outdoor competition likely will be stiffer this year after the school was moved up to Class B by enrollment, the senior-laden squad still figures to be among the top contenders.

Foxcroft will be led by senior Hunter Smith, the University of Maine-bound football standout who won individual state championships outdoors last spring in the 110 hurdles and high jump while placing second in the long jump and third in the 300 hurdles.

He also won the high jump state title indoors last winter while finishing second in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump despite a basketball-related ankle injury suffered a week before the meet.

Other veterans include distance runners Cooper Nelson and Gabe Piquette, as well as Brandon Brock in the throwing events and Caron, a capable jumper as well as an emerging pole vaulter.

Every point will count when the season nears its championship level, just one more storyline as the preparation continues.