Posted on Fri, Aug. 06, 2004

Strong voice from past helps power pole vaulter
TAG: Keystone State Games
By JOE PETRUCCI jpetrucci@leader.net

James "Boss" Cross had a special eye for talent. After all, the late Meyers coaching legend was the one who nicknamed then-Meyers freshman Raghib Ismail "Rocket." So, two years ago when Cross predicted his nephew, then a sophomore, would someday clear 14 feet in the pole vault, it shouldn't have surprised anyone that Alex Cross won a gold medal with a height of 13 feet 9 inches at the District 2 Class 3A Track and Field Championships in May. "When that happened (at districts), I remembered he said that," said Alex Cross, a 17-year-old recent graduate of Coughlin High School. "I thought, 'Wow,' he was only three inches off." He'll compete in the event at the Keystone State Games, in the 17-18-year-old boys division, at 12:30 p.m. today at Mangelsdorf Field on the campus of College Misericordia. Competition in KSG track starts today and concludes on Sunday. That district-winning vault was good for a school record and a personal best by nine inches. But nothing came easy in the pole vault for Cross. Cross first went out for track in 10th grade. At his first indoor meet, he was slated to run in sprinting events. "But I was pretty slow. I looked like I was strong, so (Coughlin coach) Paul McGrane said try out for pole vault." Cross was looking forward to trying the sometimes dangerous event. But about a week later on Feb. 23, 2002, Penn State sophomore Kevin Dare died in a vaulting accident, a tragedy that renewed safety concerns. "My mom wasn't too happy I was trying it. But I stuck with it and had a lot of fun the first year." Cross cleared 12 feet at the district meet that May, good for a bronze medal. Although he had suffered a concussion while playing for the Coughlin football team the next fall, Cross had high expectations going into his junior track season. But in an early-season meet in 2003, Cross cleared the bar and landed awkwardly. His knee slammed into his nose and he suffered a broken nose and another concussion, which kept him out of most of the season. "My whole junior season was kind of a waste." To make matters worse, Boss Cross, Alex Cross' great-uncle, died on April 20, 2003. With that in mind, Cross went about making up for lost time and getting closer to his great-uncle's prediction. Last summer, Cross began working out in Bethlehem with the Vertical Assault Pole Vaulting Club. The group is made up of some of the best vaulters in the state. It paid off. This past season, Cross did not lose in a dual meet. He cleared 13 feet in a late-season meet against Wyoming Area, topping three top-notch Warrior competitors. Another vault of 13 feet was not quite good enough to win the Wilkes-Barre invitational meet named for his great uncle. Cross lost to Montrose's Joe LaBarbera, with whom Cross developed a friendship through Vertical Assault. Both were on hand to help each other to District 2 gold medals: Cross in 3A and LaBarbera in 2A. Cross also credited extra work at practice with McGrane for his senior-year ascent. "I learned to be more consistent," said Cross, who will attend Penn State in the fall and hopes to walk on to the Nittany Lions track team. "But it's about more than that, just how to be competitive. ... If you work hard enough, you can get to higher heights." Although he'll battle LaBarbera in the Keystone State Games, don't expect a big number from Cross today. He said he's been working with Vertical Assault on shorter approaches toward the pit. Instead of taking a full run, he'll only take five or six steps before vaulting. The goal is to preserve energy to get more jumps in practice and to work on fundamentals while still making competitive heights. Cross said he'll be happy with 13-0 on a five-step approach. It seems his uncle's prediction could come true with a full approach. "Boss told me the approach is the most important thing. It definitely helps."