On June 2 at the state track and field finals in Grand Rapids, Marine City Mariner Jamie Salisbury set a new Division II record in the pole vault with a jump of 16 feet, one inch.
Last Saturday, Salisbury beat that record jump by five inches to earn a third place finish at the Midwest Meet of Champions at Fort Wayne, Ind. Salisbury participated as a member of the Michigan team at a meet that featured the top talent in the Midwest.
Salisbury, who is heading to compete on Michigan State University’s track and field team next year, was excited to get the experience of competing against some of the best in the country.
“All season I did a lot of jumping by myself because there weren’t a lot of guys in the area who competed in the event so it was nice to have other guys pushing me at the meet,” Salisbury said. “It was a great experience that was comparable to a college meet. The starting bar was at 15 feet so I knew everyone there was really good and going to push me to do my best.”
The winner of the pole vault event was a competitor from the state of Indiana who beat Salisbury’s jump by three inches with a jump of 16-9.
A standout athlete for the Mariners in the past four seasons, Salisbury said he owes a lot of credit to his event coach Jerry Wesley.
“My coach has always been there for me and I attribute a lot of my success to him,” Salisbury said. “There was a lot of hard work and dedication that went into it and I couldn’t have done it without his help and motivation.”
As Salisbury prepares to head to East Lansing to compete for the Spartans, he is excited to leave a lasting impact at his school and in the record books.
“Honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Salisbury said referring to his record-breaking performance at the state meet. “I always wanted to be a state champion. Winning is one thing but to stay on top as the best is a great feeling. I can’t describe how amazing it feels.”
By James Kelley
From http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2012/06/11/sports/doc4fd6111971e4e573918561.txt
