April 17, 2006
By STEFAN BONDY
The NJ
Herald
There are a lot of things that might run through Amy Keegan's head while she prepares to pole vault. Speed is one, particularly at the end of her sprint when she tends to slow down. The plant is another — making sure it's far enough from her body when she decides to dig in the pole. How about the swing? The top-off?
All are necessary steps in a successful vault, but Keegan is better off when they are far from her mind.
The Newton senior is best with a clear head, when her focus is on the same reason she tried this event in the first place — having fun.
"For me, I can't think about it," she said. "I just have to trust myself that I know what I'm doing."
Keegan is, far and away, the best pole vaulter in the Sussex County Interscholastic League this year. And when she graduates in June, she hopes to be the best in history.
There isn't much left for that to happen. Her personal best jump of 10-0, which occurred during this season's first dual meet, is only four inches shy of the county record.
There's a lot of time and a lot of opportunities to get four inches higher, particularly at the meets when Keegan always shines — states.
It was in her first state meet as a freshmen, the 2003 North 1, Group 2 meet, when Keegan experienced her pole vaulting epiphany. Up until then, she struggled with mechanics in her first year trying the sport.
The initial attempts were embarrassing.
"A lot of times I fell on my face," she said. "In the beginning, I was happy if I made it onto the mats.
"I could jump higher than I was pole vaulting."
But her coach, Jake Mull, had enough faith to put her in state sectionals. And all of a sudden, Keegan became an elite pole vaulter. Her mark of 7-6 was a foot higher than her previous best, and was good enough to qualify for Groups.
"It came out of nowhere," Keegan said.
The success snowballed, and Keegan dedicated herself to the sport by attending pole vaulting camp between her sophomore and junior years at Vertical Assault in Bath, PA.
The pinnacle was a second-place finish at last year's Group 2 meet.
Keegan isn't the first girl from Newton to excel in pole vaulting. Before her, there were Meet of Champions qualifiers Bethany Little and Robyn Nagel — seniors when Keegan was a freshmen.
They motivated and drove Keegan into the sport, and she is serving the same purpose for current sophomore Erin Henegan, who already cleared 8-0 this year.
But Keegan, who will pole vault for Division III Washington & Jefferson College next year, has potential to be the best of them all — the most accomplished pole vaulter in school and county history.
She only needs four more inches.
© 2006 Vertical Assault