Andover Central Junior Bryce Barkdull sails over the bar on Friday night at the Shawnee Mission North Relays
(Photo by Josh Hobson)
In most cases, falling seventeen and a half feet and landing on your back is not a good thing. For Andover Central junior Bryce Barkdull on Friday night, it was everything he'd dreamed of.
Warmups for the boys' pole vault started at about 5:30PM. At that point, the crowd had no idea what they were in for. One by one, the field of vaulters completed run-throughs. When Barkdull's turn came up, he went about 5 feet higher (with no bar) than anyone had so far. That garnered a few oo's and ahh's from the crowd, but before too long, Bryce had his sweats back on and sat down to wait.
He waited and watched as the bar raised six inches at a time, and as the field dwindled.
Eleven feet... twenty-four vaulters left...
Thirteen feet... fourteen remaining...
Fifteen feet... five remaining...
More than two hours after the competition had begun, Barkdull enters the runway, poised to outlast Olathe East's Andrew Kirby and Gardner-Edgerton's Pierson Carlisle. The last time these three met, they all cleared the same height: 15-11 at Rock Chalk Park. At 16 feet, Carlisle misses his final approach, as does Olathe North's Ian Quarles.
With the bar at sixteen and a half feet, just Kirby and Barkdull Remain. Barkdull sails over the bar with relative ease. With the ball in Kirby's court, he is unable to clear the bar in three attempts.
Victory was in hand for Bryce Barkdull.
But in pole vault, that isn't the end.
This part, things get a little fuzzy. He may have cleared another height before going for the record, I honestly don't remember. I do remember the contest feeling in slow motion. It was like we knew the moment was coming, but it just wouldn't arrive.
Soon enough, however, it was Bryce at one end of the runway, and a seventeen-foot, six-and-a-quarter-inch bar. The stakes? A 43-year-old state record on the line.
The crowd began the ever-familiar slow-clap, and Barkdull's attempt started.
At that moment, the record belonged to Wyandotte's Steve Stubblefield. A moment later, it belong to Andover Central's Bryce Barkdull.
The bar quivered a bit, but stayed firm on its pedestal. The crowd erupted with cheers as Barkdull fell seventeen and a half feet, landing on his back.
Roughly two and a half hours after the competition had begun, Barkdull became the greatest high school vaulter that Kansas had ever seen.
But in pole vault, that isn't the end.
What next? The national lead is 17 feet, 7.75 inches, so why not 17'8"? Well, beating some kid in Kentucky sounds great, but Bryce was thinking a little closer to home on this one.
Two-and-a-half weeks ago, Bryce vaulted past his brother Ashton's school record of 16 feet, 7.25 inches, set just 11 months ago at 5A State. After clearing 17 feet, he hadn't been sure what to go for next. He made such a big leap that day, setting a personal best by nearly a foot already. Not knowing what was in front of him, he cleared 17'3.25" to finish the day down in Andover.
This time, he knew exactly what to shoot for: he wanted to beat Ashton's personal best. His coach knew exactly what that was. Coach Ryan Barkdull, an all-american vaulter himself, has both his sons' marks memorized.
Competing for the Kansas Jayhawks, Ashton cleared 17 feet, 9.75 inches to place 3rd at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in February. Naturally, Bryce raised the bar to 17'10"
Attempt #1 was a miss. Chalk it up to just getting a feel for the new height.
Attempt #2, to my untrained eye, looked the same: a miss.
Attempt #3, however, had the same remarkable execution and thrill of his record vault just minutes before. This time, though, Bryce's torso grazed the bar just enough, it bounced about two inches off the standards, and tumbled to the mat with him.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the best pole vault competitions end. An oh-so-close miss that leaves everyone thinking 'just one more'. But alas, the night had drawn to a close.
Three weeks remain in the high school season, giving Bryce three more attempts at his ever-increasing goals. With both Barkdulls still competing, Ashton's personal best will likely be a moving target.
For now, though, it's time to celebrate history, as Bryce climbs to the top of the Kansas list, forever etching his name in pole vault lore.