Derek Foreman: reaching new heights (LA)

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http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/sports/ ... ew-heights


Derek Foreman: reaching new heights


By Rodrick Anderson, Sports Editor
Southwest Daily News
Posted Jul 24, 2011 @ 04:00 AM



Sulphur, La. —
In just a few short years, Sulphur High athlete Derek Foreman has gone from a beginner to one of the top pole vaulters in the area and now takes his talents to the national stage this week.

Foreman will be headed to Wichita, Kansas for the 2011 USATF National Junior Olympics Track and Fields Championships. The meet will be held at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University starting on July 26th.

"It is really pretty amazing," Foreman said. "I have never really been good at anything before until I got here.

"That is why I have hung with it so much."

Foreman is riding high after setting a personal best of 15’3” and taking first at the Dauphin Street Vault in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday.

Pole vaulting has not always been on Foreman's mind as he played soccer and football for most of his early years until catching the vaulting bug during his sophomore year at Sulphur High. In fact he did not play for any of the sports team during his three years at W.W. Lewis Middle School prior to attending Sulphur High.

"It is a rush," Foreman said. "It is pretty much the challenge of always making yourself better and getting to new heights.

"My sophomore year I started, it was fun and it was something that I wanted to try. I jumped 11'6". After that I didn't want to stop."

Most pole vaulters stand around six feet tall and 175 pounds but Foreman stands just 5'6" and 130 pounds but that has not stopped him from having ground breaking year.

"They underestimate me," Foreman said. "It is actually harder.

"Because of the takeoff advantage of the pole you want to be higher because it will bend easier. If you are lower you have to work harder to get the pole to bend. Height is an advantage so I have to make up for that with speed."

One of the most successful pole vaulters from Louisiana is Greg Duplantis out of Lafayette. At just 5'6" he cleared 19 feet one quarter inch in his heyday.

Foreman's run up to the Junior Olympic Nationals started with the high school season along with vaulter and teammate Austyn Hawkins. The two pushed each other to every dizzying heights and new school records along the way.

Coming into the season, the school record had been held by Daniel Menard for three years at 14'1". By early April, Hawkins held the new school record at 15' with Foreman not far behind at 14'9".

"It was really motivating," Foreman said. "I don't think I would be here now without Austyn.

"He jumped 12'6' his junior year and we pushed each other."

Vaulting for New Heights Gym out of New Iberia this summer, Foreman pushed himself over 15' for the first time at the Lafayette Track Club Invitational on June 4th. He finished second behind Caleb Bertrand (15'7") who also works out of New Heights Gym.

Foreman added third place finishes at the USATF Southern Association Championships, USATF Southern Association Junior Olympic Championships and the USATF Region 6 Junior Olympic Championships.

Although he just cleared the minimum qualifying mark of 12'11' by half an inch at the Region 6 championships, Foreman has cleared 15'7" in practice.

"I have been doing some pole changes and doing a different run; longer and further back," Foreman said. "I have been on a food and weight program this summer and leaned up a little bit and got faster and stronger.

"I am actually trying to showcase some new talent for this meet."

Although he is not sure what college he wants to attend, Foreman is looking at studying sports medicine but would still like to see how far pole vaulting will get him.