Tyler Porter takes shot at uncles vault record (GA)

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JEFFERSON - With each vault at Thursday's Georgia Olympics, Jefferson pole vaulter Tyler Porter was chasing down a mark set by a member of his own family.

Porter's uncle, Chris Keen, set the Class AA record of 15 feet, 8 inches in 1998. Once he had the rest of Class AA staring up at him, Porter focused his sights on his uncle's mark.

"I'm just trying to do better than he did because he's a superstar athlete," Porter said of his uncle. "He went to (Florida State) and walked onto their football team. I just want to have one up on him."

With a vault of 15 feet, which he cleared on his second try, Porter won his second state championship and first in Class AA. Last year, he won the Class A pole vault title with a mark of 14-2.

Adding close to a foot to his personal record by the end of each season has become a trend for the junior, who plans to reach 16 feet by the end of his senior season.

"Once you get to a certain height, it is tough to get up," Porter said. "It would be like hitting four home runs in a baseball game. It is kind of hard to explain. My dad's been coaching me and he has been a big reason for my success."

After clinching the title by clearing 14-6 and setting a new personal record at 15 feet, Porter went right after his uncle with three attempts at 15-9.

His final attempt was his best as Porter knocked the bar off on his way down to the mat.

"The first attempt I didn't feel like I had a good plant or a good drive," Porter said. "That last attempt, I thought I had it. That is probably the best vault of my life."

Oglethorpe County's Ethan Smith finished fourth in Class AA with a height of 12-6.

Athens Christian vaulters junior Matthew Gulley and senior Joey Moon continued the Eagles' strong day in the field events finals with a 2-3 finish in Class A. Gulley took second with a vault of 12-6 and Moon took third at 12 feet.

Moon also placed fourth in the discus in Class A. Gulley's finish in his first state meet was a half-foot below his personal record of 13 feet.

"It was the same as any other meet, just a little more pressure," Gulley said. "The pole I usually use was getting too short so I bumped up a pole. Then that one started getting too short. There was just a lot of little adjustments."

Vaulters from Region 8-AAAA went 3-for-4 Thursday. Winder-Barrow's Casey Rogers cleared 12-6 to take the bronze and Cedar Shoals' Nathan Prestridge took fourth with a 12-foot vault.

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