Pullard Pupil Locks Up Another City Vault Crown

The event had been decided for some time, but Bob Pullard was still there, bundled in a blanket and standing with the rest of the spectators on the other side of a chain-link fence, rooting for Chatsworth High pole vaulter Jay Bettinger to better his personal record.

Bettinger, a 6-foot, 1-inch senior, already had skied past the rest of the competition, clearing 14 feet, 6 inches at Thursday’s City Section final at Birmingham High. But Pullard, Bettinger’s coach, makes it a habit to stay until the last bar falls. Or until the bar’s closed, if you will.

“I think the City definitely needs to work on it’s pole vaulting,” Pullard said. “Up until the last few years, it was pretty bleak. The CIF schools are leaving us behind.”

But since Pullard, a seven-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, became the high priest of the high bar, local vaulters are progressing by leaps and bounds. Under his tutelage, Valley-area vaulters have won the City title three consecutive years. Bettinger, who cleared a personal-best 15 feet, 8 inches after the rest of the competition had failed at 14-0 or lower, was No. 3.

Frank Bray of Van Nuys High won in 1987 and Jay Borick of Taft was first in 1986.

It is no coincidence that it has been three years since Pullard, 37, started a series of clinics on the event’s basics. Pullard was a member of the 1972 NCAA championship team at USC and a member of the 1976 U. S. Olympic team. After vaulting 18-2 in 1978, he was ranked No. 8 in the world.

And when the pit boss speaks, his students listen. Pullard had several disciples in the competition Thursday. Bobby Jung of Chatsworth, who finished fourth at 13-0, jogged across the track after every jump to speak with Pullard. Greg Sheets of Taft, who finished second at 14-0, is also a former student.

Bettinger agreed that Pullard has the pull to make the vault as vaunted as he thinks it should be.

“He knows his stuff,” said Bettinger, who improved more than 2 feet from his fourth-place vault of 13-6 last year. “He’s helped me with technique and he’s helped me psychologically.

“I don’t know why, but the City doesn’t really stress the vault. But he came back and raised it a level.”

Pullard’s goal is to coach someone good enough to beat his City record of 16-7, set in 1969 while Pullard was a senior at Los Angeles High. For a while, it appeared Bettinger was a sure bet to break it. After winning Thursday, he cleared 15-2 on his first attempt and 15-8 on his second.

Bettinger nearly cleared 16-2 on his final attempt--the bar teetered on the standard for several seconds before falling.

“I thought he had that one,” Pullard said. “He clears that and we shoot for the record in the next jump.”

“But we should have some pretty good guys next year, too.”