New Pole Gives Parker Lift at Mt. SAC

Tom Parker of Notre Dame High was ready to call it a day after pole vaulting 14 feet in an all-comers meet at Mt. San Antonio College on Saturday.

Although that mark had clinched first in the high school division, Parker was not satisfied. “He was really disappointed in his performance,” said Larry Parker, Tom’s father. “His pole kept mussing out on him. He wasn’t getting the lift he needed at the top of his jumps. So we talked him into using a bigger pole in the open competition.”

Using a longer and stiffer pole, Parker cleared 16-0 on his second attempt. The height equaled his personal best, established at last year’s Mt. SAC Relays.

“He was surprised and elated,” Larry Parker said. “He didn’t expect to vault that high this early in the season.”