Connor Landry cleared for takeoff (CA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2 ... s/01pv.txt

Landry cleared for takeoff

After locking up his college future, Placer senior sets new PV standard
By: Mark DeVaughn, Journal Assistant Sports Editor
Friday, May 11, 2007


Placer High senior Connor Landry cleared 16 feet, 2 inches in a meet against Whitney on April 25 to break his own school record in the event. Inspired to compete in the pole vault by watching Placer alum Stacy Dragila at the Olymipcs, Landry has bested his hero, who once held the world record in the women's event with her personal best of 15-10. Photo by Ben Furtado/Auburn Journal
Behold, the power of a clear mind.

Connor Landry was already a school record holder in the pole vault by the time he joined his Placer High track teammates for a Pioneer Valley League dual meet in April. The events of a day earlier made the meet truly special, as it was Landry's first competition as a Cal Poly Mustang-to-be.

Then came another school record, a mark of 16 feet, 2 inches against Whitney that bested his previous record by two inches.

"I signed a day before that meet. Getting accepted to college," he said, "can be a great stress-reliever."

Expect Landry, who earned a partial scholarship be a Cal Poly track athlete, to continue that momentum in the coming weeks.


One of the nation's top 20 pole vaulters is on pace to take home a Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III championship next Tuesday. For an athlete who's already broken the previous school record (15-6) three times this year, the SJS Masters and state championships could follow.

Placer head coach Rick Foley remembered Landry as an uncommitted "squirrel" as a sophomore. Two years later, Landry - now a chiseled 6-foot-3, 180-pounder - has combined his athletic genes with a driven work ethic.

Landry is a standout long jumper, also running the first leg of the 4x100 relay.

"He went down the conveyor belt. God gave him a lot of gifts," Foley said. "When you have that talent with that work-ethic, you're going to have good things. His mentality has been to improve, and that's the kind of the philosophy you want for all the kids."

An intense training effort put Landry - active locally at Calvary Chapel of Auburn - on the path to his current greatness. The workout sessions became grueling once he finished his Placer football career in November. Three days each week, he did 100 pull-ups per-day.

The result is a healthier and more accomplished athlete than of a year ago. He says shin splints bothered him in 2006, when his top pole vault mark stood at 14-6 and his frame carried 10 less pounds of muscle. "The only days I wasn't working out were Sundays, when I was at work," said Landry, who earns his keep as a range assistant at The Ridge Golf Club. "I don't think I've ever had to work harder at anything."

In the pole vault, Placer track - with a tradition of winning league titles that dates back to the early 1900's - has its signature event. Having graduated last season with the old school record, David Rhodes was the lone Hillman to reach last year's state championship meet.

Landry owns a connection with Placer's most famous pole vaulter. The namesake of the team's home track, former Olympian Stacy Dragila was close friends in high school with his aunt, Jamie Herlihy. Landry said he was first inspired to do pole vault several years ago when he watched Dragila compete on TV.


Outside competition, his group of pole vaulting teammates also achieves. He joined them last year in building two new jumping runways alongside Dragila Track. Among the returnees from last year's team is fellow senior Adam Fry, who has cleared a personal-best 14 feet in the pole vault.

A week into this season, Fry's personal record stood at 12 feet, 6 inches.

"I don't want Connor to go to state alone," said Fry, who wants to clear 15 feet by season's end. "Obivously Placer track and field has had a successful past, and we take a lot of pride in continuing that."

Landry's path to Placer is of his own choice. A Newcastle resident originally slated to attend Del Oro, he also played for the Placer Junior Hillmen football squad as a youngster. Foley said he'll dearly miss the school spirit of the 18-year-old, who knows his success goes far beyond his physical skills. "Pole vault itself is a very mental sport," Landry said. "Your head has to be in it."