My first exposure to track and field came during the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. I witnessed greatness from athletes and coaches even though I had no real comprehension of the magnitude of their feats. It was then that I decided track was going to be my future. Among those whom I saw were Renaldo the hurdler, Carl the long jumper, Willie and Joao the triple jumpers, and Juan the 400/800 runner. Also, I met a coach named Wilbur.…
When Megan Comstock first started vaulting, she began like all beginners, jumping about 6′. Early on, during a frustrating practice when she did not believe she would ever improve, Coach Jose bet she would clear 8′ by the end of her freshman season. And if she did, he would dye his hair purple, a nod to Megan who has a purple streak on the under side of her brown ponytail. Megan jumped 8’7″ as a freshman, and 11’3″ as a sophomore,…
In a sport that defies gravity, and is performed on equipment that deteriorates in weather, safety is a high priority. While dangers lurk for those running on the track, they are amplified for the daring few who feel a higher calling. A vocal advocate for pole vault safety, Coach Jose San Miguel recently trained the coaches at the North Carolina Track & Cross Country Coaches Conference. With an in-depth curricula, Jose instructed high school coaches from North Carolina and Virginia on starting a new…
In April 2012, James Dove (Princeton High, IL, Class of 2012, cleared a personal best of 14’6″ during his last high school meet. Much has changed in his life since then. He now lives in NC, is a full time student at Durham Tech Community College, works at Papa John’s Pizza, and has been training with Pole Vault Carolina since July. In his first meet in 18 months, James cleared a new personal best of 14’9″, and almost cleared 15’3″!…
