Foothill’s Slocum Rises to the Occasion : Vault of 15 Feet Gets Him 2nd Place in High School Division of Sunkist Meet

Pole vaulter Steve Slocum of Foothill High School reached new heights Friday night at the Sunkist Invitational indoor track meet.

Slocum, a senior, was all smiles after finishing second behind Brent Burns of Lafayette Acalanes with a career-best vault of 15 feet in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Burns, ranked second in the nation last year, won the event with a vault of 16-6.

Slocum missed on three attempts at 15-6 but appeared to clear the height on his third attempt, hitting the bar on his way down.

“I was shooting for 15 feet, and 15-6 would have been great,” Slocum said. “I was right there at 15-6 and thought I made it. I’m still using a small pole (15 feet), so I’m real happy with 15 feet.”

Slocum plans to use a 15-6 pole once the season begins and will eventually graduate to a 15-9 pole by the end of the season. His goal is to vault 16-6, and he said his early-season performance is encouraging.

Slocum’s father, Paul, serves as a volunteer coach for Foothill’s track and field team, working with the Knights’ pole vaulters. He introduced his son to pole vaulting as a youngster.

“We used to jump into old mattresses in my backyard,” Steve Slocum said. “My dad ran track at San Jose State and got me started when I was just a little kid.

“Our pole vaulters finished one through five in the Century League last year, and we should be strong again this year. Our pole vaulters and high jumpers are strong.”

Slocum began training four weeks ago but had been experiencing problems with his running techniques. He was surprised by his performance.

“I hadn’t been jumping well until this meet,” he said. “Tonight, I felt smooth and my approach was good. I really liked running on the boards.

“My timing was a little off, but I could tell I was ready. This was the first time I officially went 15 feet. I’ve done it in practice before, but never in a meet.”

Nick-John Haiduc of Servite didn’t know what to expect in the boys’ 500-yard run, but the senior showed that endurance is his forte as he won his heat in 1:00.7.

Brandon Williams of Long Beach Millikan had the fastest time in the event at 59.1. Haiduc’s time was the fourth fastest among the nine competitors in the two races.

Haiduc ran a 49.1 in the 400 meters to win the Angelus League title as a junior but had never run on a banked oval indoors. Haiduc’s 5-foot 9-inch frame seemed well suited for the tight turns as he held off Reggie Johnson of Compton to win his heat.

“My strategy was to sprint out in front and that way, if anybody was going to pass me, they’d have to do it on the outside,” Haiduc said. “My coach (Jaime Sandoval) told me that trying to pass on the bank tends to tire out a runner, and he was right.

“I saw the other guy (Johnson) trying to pass me on the outside, but he couldn’t do it. My coach also told me to keep my arms across my body when I came around the turns. It was really different running on the boards, but my coach did a great job of preparing me for the race.”

Last fall, Haiduc was named the offensive player of the year in the Angelus League after catching 39 passes for an average of 22.5 yards per reception. He began training for the track season last month.

“Considering I just got out of football, I’m happy with my time,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I just ran all out. I’m hurting now, but this was a great experience.”

It was a forgettable evening for Kirk Ayers of Western. Ayers was entered in three events--the long jump, 500-yard run and 60-yard dash. He finished last in the 500 and 60 and second to last in the long jump.

“I’m not happy at all,” he said. “It’s too early in the season, and I’ve only been training for a week. It seems like all I’ve been doing is working and spending time with my girlfriend. I guess it’s time to change my schedule.”

Ayers has a career-best of 23-4 set at the Masters meet last spring at Cerritos College but managed only 21-1 1/2 in the long jump. He was clocked in 7.37 in the 60, far off the pace of Ricky Ervins’ (Muir) winning time of 6.89.

“I couldn’t get any spring off the boards for the high jump,” Ayers said. “I didn’t like running or jumping off the boards. I guess it’s time to start seriously training now.”

Sunkist Notes

It was a big night for Laguna Beach High School’s track team. Kurt Depfyffer won the boys’ rated mile in 4:25.8. John Soto of Huntington Beach was third at 4:29.0. The Laguna Beach girls’ relay team of Kirsten and Wendy Petersen, Kim Snip and Meagan Barnett finished third in the seeded two-mile race at 10:17.5. . . . Shannen Karpel of Ocean View won the girls’ 880 in 2:19.3. Her twin sister, Kathy, finished fourth in the girls’ rated mile in 5:29.5. . . . Craig Olson of El Dorado was third in the boys’ 880.