Patrick Kelly Street Vault: Event memorializes vaulter (MT)
Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:33 am
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2008/0 ... _vault.txt
Patrick Kelly Street Vault: Event memorializes pole vault enthusiast
By Nick McCarvel - Special to the Independent Record - 07/19/08
Joel Maes photo provided by Kelly family - Patrick Kelly pole vaults at the 2006 U.S.A. Track and Field Junior Olympics event at Vigilante Stadium.
On the day he died, Patrick Kelly soared higher than ever before.
It was early afternoon on a perfect summer day and Patrick cleared 8 feet in the pole vault, marking the first time he made that height outside of practice.
Today, two years after Patrick claimed his personal best, the same exhibition continues bearing his name in its title - The Third Annual Patrick Kelly Street Vault kicks off today at Memorial Park.
It’s a day of competition and wowing feats, but most of all, a day Patrick would have referred to with his signature phrase, “dude,” which, according to sister Kaely Kelly, translates as “this is so cool.”
Patrick Kelly was no record-holding pole vault champion. In fact, the 14-year-old Capital High freshman-to-be had picked up the sport just two years before, but it was a newfound passion and something he couldn’t get enough of.
“His favorite sport was always whatever he was doing at that moment in time,” said his dad, Tim Kelly. “The day he died, he did all of it; he was doing what he loved to do.”
That day in 2006, Patrick spent much of the morning and early afternoon around the Street Vault before heading out to the lake with friends where he died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Kelly came from an athletic family; his dad coached track, basketball, golf, volleyball and football in the Helena community for years and he had a plethora of family members who played a variety of sports across Montana and throughout the Northwest.
None of them ever tried pole vault, leaving the adventuresome teen to explore new territory.
“I think he was drawn to the uniqueness of pole vaulting,” his mom, Sarah Kelly, remembers. “And it really was the kids that he was around, too.”
One of those kids was family friend Bobby Biskupiak, a guy Sarah calls Patrick’s “hero.” Biskupiak was a top-notch pole vaulter for Capital High and now is jumping for Montana State University.
“Patrick idolized Bobby,” Tim adds.
With the guidance of Biskupiak, Patrick took to pole vaulting with the same vigor he had for snowboarding, wakeboarding and basketball. A few weeks before his death, Patrick competed in his first official meet, the U.S.A. Track and Field Regional Junior Olympics at Vigilante Stadium.
“He had already been coming to camps for two years by that time,” says Todd Foster, Capital High pole vault coach and organizer of the annual Street Vault.
Patrick joined the pole vaulting family already formed in Helena within Foster’s camps, and tagged along with guys like Biskupiak and Chris Crawford, another high school pole vaulter.
“Patrick went after pole vaulting just like he went after anything else in life,” Biskupiak says. “He put everything into it and made everyone smile while doing so.”
It was these mentors that Patrick looked up to, but it was his “comfortable-in-my-own-skin” attitude that made him willing and able to pursue such a unique sport.
“It was his current obsession,” Sarah says. “When Patrick got hooked on something, he didn’t care what anyone else thought.”
“Sports were his social outlet,” sister Kaelyn suggests. “He didn’t care about winning or losing, he just wanted everyone to have fun.”
A healthy and active kid, Patrick’s death was untimely and unexpected. He complained of minor headaches only a week prior to his death at a family reunion in the Seeley Swan area, but it seemed to be nothing to worry about.
An autopsy showed that he died because of a congenital heart condition - Patrick only had two valves instead of three to pump blood in and out of his heart. With just two valves, the stress eventually became too much for the heart and muscles around it to handle, narrowing his aorta.
“We’ve been told that if he would have collapsed in the hospital, in the middle of the emergency room, that there would have been nothing they could have done,” Tim says.
With no knowledge of his condition, Patrick lived “for the weekends,” as his parents put it. Whatever the season, Patrick was out at some gym, track, hill, field or lake, enjoying the company of others.
“Patrick was a personable kid, a hard worker and - at 14 - people knew who he was.” Foster says. “Not because of his parents, but because of who he was.”
Those who came in contact with him say there was something special about Patrick. He had developed a deep spirituality in his last year and while taking guitar lessons with sister Kaelyn, he had written a song about his faith.
Patrick attended church and sports camps and family functions with an eagerness to be around people and enjoy the moment.
“There wasn’t a mean bone in his body,” his mom said. “The only place I ever saw him get truly mad was on the golf course and even then he was only getting mad at himself.
“He was just a funny, goofy kid.”
The goofiness started at an early age, when Patrick loved to dress up in a Bruins mascot costume and attend Capital High School basketball games while his dad coached. Mostly, he’d just hang with the high school kids and look “cute.’
“He would go to these games and completely hold his own,” Kaelyn remembers. “(The costume) was the mangiest looking thing, but he absolutely loved it. It was just Patrick being himself.”
Though Patrick would never fly in life, he came close that day with the pole in his hand. Was there a better way for Patrick to spend his last day on this earth?
“Absolutely not,” his dad says. “If a person has to die, I’m glad it happened that way.”
He flew high that day, with a smile on his face and not a care in the world. Soaring, indeed.
Patrick Kelly Street Vault: Event memorializes pole vault enthusiast
By Nick McCarvel - Special to the Independent Record - 07/19/08
Joel Maes photo provided by Kelly family - Patrick Kelly pole vaults at the 2006 U.S.A. Track and Field Junior Olympics event at Vigilante Stadium.
On the day he died, Patrick Kelly soared higher than ever before.
It was early afternoon on a perfect summer day and Patrick cleared 8 feet in the pole vault, marking the first time he made that height outside of practice.
Today, two years after Patrick claimed his personal best, the same exhibition continues bearing his name in its title - The Third Annual Patrick Kelly Street Vault kicks off today at Memorial Park.
It’s a day of competition and wowing feats, but most of all, a day Patrick would have referred to with his signature phrase, “dude,” which, according to sister Kaely Kelly, translates as “this is so cool.”
Patrick Kelly was no record-holding pole vault champion. In fact, the 14-year-old Capital High freshman-to-be had picked up the sport just two years before, but it was a newfound passion and something he couldn’t get enough of.
“His favorite sport was always whatever he was doing at that moment in time,” said his dad, Tim Kelly. “The day he died, he did all of it; he was doing what he loved to do.”
That day in 2006, Patrick spent much of the morning and early afternoon around the Street Vault before heading out to the lake with friends where he died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Kelly came from an athletic family; his dad coached track, basketball, golf, volleyball and football in the Helena community for years and he had a plethora of family members who played a variety of sports across Montana and throughout the Northwest.
None of them ever tried pole vault, leaving the adventuresome teen to explore new territory.
“I think he was drawn to the uniqueness of pole vaulting,” his mom, Sarah Kelly, remembers. “And it really was the kids that he was around, too.”
One of those kids was family friend Bobby Biskupiak, a guy Sarah calls Patrick’s “hero.” Biskupiak was a top-notch pole vaulter for Capital High and now is jumping for Montana State University.
“Patrick idolized Bobby,” Tim adds.
With the guidance of Biskupiak, Patrick took to pole vaulting with the same vigor he had for snowboarding, wakeboarding and basketball. A few weeks before his death, Patrick competed in his first official meet, the U.S.A. Track and Field Regional Junior Olympics at Vigilante Stadium.
“He had already been coming to camps for two years by that time,” says Todd Foster, Capital High pole vault coach and organizer of the annual Street Vault.
Patrick joined the pole vaulting family already formed in Helena within Foster’s camps, and tagged along with guys like Biskupiak and Chris Crawford, another high school pole vaulter.
“Patrick went after pole vaulting just like he went after anything else in life,” Biskupiak says. “He put everything into it and made everyone smile while doing so.”
It was these mentors that Patrick looked up to, but it was his “comfortable-in-my-own-skin” attitude that made him willing and able to pursue such a unique sport.
“It was his current obsession,” Sarah says. “When Patrick got hooked on something, he didn’t care what anyone else thought.”
“Sports were his social outlet,” sister Kaelyn suggests. “He didn’t care about winning or losing, he just wanted everyone to have fun.”
A healthy and active kid, Patrick’s death was untimely and unexpected. He complained of minor headaches only a week prior to his death at a family reunion in the Seeley Swan area, but it seemed to be nothing to worry about.
An autopsy showed that he died because of a congenital heart condition - Patrick only had two valves instead of three to pump blood in and out of his heart. With just two valves, the stress eventually became too much for the heart and muscles around it to handle, narrowing his aorta.
“We’ve been told that if he would have collapsed in the hospital, in the middle of the emergency room, that there would have been nothing they could have done,” Tim says.
With no knowledge of his condition, Patrick lived “for the weekends,” as his parents put it. Whatever the season, Patrick was out at some gym, track, hill, field or lake, enjoying the company of others.
“Patrick was a personable kid, a hard worker and - at 14 - people knew who he was.” Foster says. “Not because of his parents, but because of who he was.”
Those who came in contact with him say there was something special about Patrick. He had developed a deep spirituality in his last year and while taking guitar lessons with sister Kaelyn, he had written a song about his faith.
Patrick attended church and sports camps and family functions with an eagerness to be around people and enjoy the moment.
“There wasn’t a mean bone in his body,” his mom said. “The only place I ever saw him get truly mad was on the golf course and even then he was only getting mad at himself.
“He was just a funny, goofy kid.”
The goofiness started at an early age, when Patrick loved to dress up in a Bruins mascot costume and attend Capital High School basketball games while his dad coached. Mostly, he’d just hang with the high school kids and look “cute.’
“He would go to these games and completely hold his own,” Kaelyn remembers. “(The costume) was the mangiest looking thing, but he absolutely loved it. It was just Patrick being himself.”
Though Patrick would never fly in life, he came close that day with the pole in his hand. Was there a better way for Patrick to spend his last day on this earth?
“Absolutely not,” his dad says. “If a person has to die, I’m glad it happened that way.”
He flew high that day, with a smile on his face and not a care in the world. Soaring, indeed.