AUGUST 5, 2002
CICERO - During the opening ceremonies last Wednesday of the 25th annual Empire State Games, one of the people who carried the torch in the Carrier Dome had been either an athlete or a coach in each and every one of the games.
That's the kind of longevity record Nathan Jauvtis is shooting for. Except Jauvtis said he wouldn't mind adding a gold medal every year along the way.
Jauvtis, who is on track to get his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Cornell next spring, is off to a good start as he won his fourth straight Empire State Games open men's pole vault competition Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Unlike in the previous three years, where he dominated the competition, he was pushed somewhat before hitting the winning vault at 16 feet, 1 inch.
That is a full foot shorter than what Jauvtis cleared to win two years ago.
But the way he has vaulted this past summer, Jauvtis was more than happy with the performance.
"I've been having a bit of a hard time converting," said Jauvtis. "I've been struggling since about the time school let out this year. If I knew (why) I wouldn't be struggling. It was good to get on the runway and do things right, a few things right anyway."
Jauvtis needed every bit of that 16-1 to win this year. David Fritz cleared 4.75 meters (15-7) to win silver, but failed at 16-1, while Michael Couch won the bronze at 4.6 meters.
"I'm psyched we had three guys up and over (15 feet)," Jauvtis said. "That makes it fun."
When Jauvtis first won the gold four years ago, his winning height was 15-11.
He cleared 17-1 in Binghamton two years ago, then 16-8 last year in Canastota.
"I plan to get back in that 17-foot range next time."
The pole vault competition began early, at 8 a.m. Saturday, forcing the vaulters to make their approaches while staring straight into the rising sun.
"We started and the sun was right in our eyes," Jauvtis said. "That is not so easy with a technical event like this. Safety was a big issue."
Safety is now a big issue at all pole vault events, since the death of a college vaulter and two high school vaulters in the past year.
"A lot of safety issues stem from coaching," said Jauvtis, who is an assistant coach with Cornell during the season. "It is not the athlete's fault that they come up short. Maybe there could be a little more emphasis on proper coaching techniques. Yet helmets could be a good thing."
While many other athletes are turning to golf or other hobbies after college, Jauvtis loves to keep pole vaulting.
"There is such a brotherhood here," Jauvtis said. "Everybody
is cheering everybody on. There is the personal stuff I like, jumping high to
see how good I could do. But pole vaulters are the tightest group around. So
that makes it a pleasure."