Kyle Inks Article (CA)

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Bret Harte sophomore is learning to fly


By Ryan Wallace
Thursday, May 12, 2005 6:49 PM CDT



In the world of sports, pole vault is the closest thing to flying.

So, on Friday, while many Mother Lode League track athletes will be circling the track at Dorroh Field during the Mother Lode League track and field finals, don't be alarmed to see a Bret Harte sophomore reaching new heights.

Kyle Inks has just begun to fully understand the sport of pole vault and already he's pushing close to setting new marks. Inks already owns the freshman/sophomore record at Bret Harte, by clearing 13 feet, 6 inches earlier this season, and he said he's getting pretty close to the 14-foot mark.

The school record is 14-6, set by Robert Messer just a few years ago.

Inks' first taste of pole vaulting came last January when Josh Linker and Archie Barnett of Bret Harte asked him if he wanted to attend the Vault Summit in Reno. Inks accepted the invitation and went on to jump 9 feet, 8 inches in his first competition.

By the time the track season rolled around, Inks had dedicated himself to the sport and by the end of his freshman year he had cleared 12 feet.


For Inks, it's the thrill of soaring through the air and continually trying to get better that has hooked him.

"It kind of feels like you're just flying through the air," Inks said. "You get high up and you have the form, the turn and bend of your pole n that's just really fun."

Inks has gotten a lot of pointers from Bret Harte coach Derek Oliver that have really helped him get better. Oliver is an English teacher at Bret Harte who vaulted 17-6 in college and knows a thing or two about technique. Oliver also lends a hand to the Calaveras pole vaulters, because they don't have a coach.

Inks said having Oliver around is key to making the right adjustments.



"You have to have a good run on the runway and you have to have a good plant and coach will watch you and tell you what you're doing wrong," Inks said. "Like, if it's your swing, he'll help you work on that with certain drills, if it's your run, you just need to get more consistent every time.

"He just knows a lot about it."

But with every successful leap he has accomplished, Inks has had his share of close calls. He said just a few weeks ago he was working with a new pole and had a mishap.

"I've been on my pole and had it bent all the way and it's shot me back out to the grass," Inks said.

He said that last year he took a spill from 12 feet up in the air.

While he admits to getting shaken up, he finds a way to keep going and overcome the fear.

Inks enters Friday's MLL finals as the favorite to win the league championship. Should things work out, he hopes to hold that title for another two years.

He also hopes to set the bar a little higher at Bret Harte.

"I'm getting close to 14 (feet) with a bigger pole and I just need to get my swing better," he said. "That's what I need to work on now and maybe by the beginning or middle of next year I can get closer to it (the record)."