Mitchell Erickson thrives on competition (IL)
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:17 am
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/ ... 7b3ae8.txt
Defending state pole vault champion Erickson thrives on competition.
BY KEN KARRSON
kkarrson@nwitimes.com
219.933.3232 | Friday, March 21, 2008 | No comments posted.
Mitchell Erickson can be beaten.
The state's defending pole vault champion in Class AA recently had that fact reinforced to him by Rolling Meadows' Mick Viken, who finished ahead of the Marian Catholic senior in the Windy City Pole Vault Summit. However, the next time Erickson and Viken are likely to cross paths is Memorial Day weekend in Charleston.
Good competition is hard for Erickson to find on the south side. Heck, competition of any kind is scarce.
A majority of area high schools bypass the pole vault altogether. Thus, when Marian takes part in local meets, whether they are duals or invitationals, Erickson often has to sit idle or find some other event in which to participate.
"I think he jumped in about five or six meets last year," said Tim Johnson, Erickson's vault coach.
That list included the state get-together, which Erickson used as his launching pad for a college future at the University of Oklahoma. Although he has since competed in such national meets as the Nike Outdoor and Junior Nationals, Erickson first rose above the radar at Eastern Illinois.
And it wasn't just that he won, but how he went about doing so. Down to his final attempt at 16 feet, Erickson not only cleared that height, but went on to top 16-3 and then 16-9.
Both were handled on Erickson's first try, which gave him an advantage over Lincoln-Way East's Joe Noonan, who missed on his initial attempt at 16-9. Noonan gambled and had event officials raise the bar to 17-1 in a final effort to pass Erickson, but he was unable to do so.
What made Erickson's victory somewhat surprising was that his winning vault represented a personal best by 6 inches.
"I'm more of a competition kind of guy," he said. "That's what I thrive on. I jump technically well in practice, but I don't get that height."
Erickson certainly didn't at the Prep Top Times indoor meet in March 2007. Even though he entered as the top seed, Erickson bowed out at 14 feet.
"I think that put a little fire in my belly," he said. "It definitely got me back to earth."
But while he knew the state meet would offer an opportunity for redemption, Erickson also understood the chances he'd get to hone his performance before that would be limited. Perhaps that was the reason nobody but Erickson got overly exuberant about what might lie ahead at Charleston.
"I was confident, but everybody else was kind of wary," Erickson said. "My parents were saying, 'Let's just see what happens.' But it was a perfect day (weather-wise) and once I got into the state meet, it didn't seem like it was too hard."
It wasn't, and repeating as state champ is at the top of Erickson's 2008 goals. However, he acknowledges that the climate has changed, at least as far as how he's perceived by competitors.
"This year, it's a whole different ballgame," Erickson said. "Everyone's kind of creeping up on me. It's hard to be the guy everyone's coming after."
Chasing Erickson is one thing. Catching -- and passing him -- is something else. Johnson said Erickson will work hard to find a way to stay in front of the pack.
"Some guys answer the bell, some don't," Johnson said. "He does. I could see him kind of grab hold of something each and every year -- the light bulb went off, and he'd just keep working at it.
"He really improved his running (between his sophomore and junior seasons) and he was able to generate more energy on the runway. That was a huge improvement."
In Erickson's mind, he's only doing what every pole vaulter should do.
"Repetition is the biggest thing," he said. "You need at least 10 years to become competitively elite. If you get bored (easily) and don't go to practice, you won't make it. You've got to just grind it out.
"You've got to work your way up, and if you turn the light off for a second and you're not there (mentally), you're not going to go anywhere. Once you get things down, you get a routine."
Practice doesn't always make perfect; if it did, Erickson might still be undefeated. But anyone wanting to beat him in late May must be prepared to battle.
"He's made great progress," Johnson said. "He's done a great job for a guy who's only been doing it for 3 1/2 years and has vaulted in very limited meets. He makes the most of the meets he jumps in."
Defending state pole vault champion Erickson thrives on competition.
BY KEN KARRSON
kkarrson@nwitimes.com
219.933.3232 | Friday, March 21, 2008 | No comments posted.
Mitchell Erickson can be beaten.
The state's defending pole vault champion in Class AA recently had that fact reinforced to him by Rolling Meadows' Mick Viken, who finished ahead of the Marian Catholic senior in the Windy City Pole Vault Summit. However, the next time Erickson and Viken are likely to cross paths is Memorial Day weekend in Charleston.
Good competition is hard for Erickson to find on the south side. Heck, competition of any kind is scarce.
A majority of area high schools bypass the pole vault altogether. Thus, when Marian takes part in local meets, whether they are duals or invitationals, Erickson often has to sit idle or find some other event in which to participate.
"I think he jumped in about five or six meets last year," said Tim Johnson, Erickson's vault coach.
That list included the state get-together, which Erickson used as his launching pad for a college future at the University of Oklahoma. Although he has since competed in such national meets as the Nike Outdoor and Junior Nationals, Erickson first rose above the radar at Eastern Illinois.
And it wasn't just that he won, but how he went about doing so. Down to his final attempt at 16 feet, Erickson not only cleared that height, but went on to top 16-3 and then 16-9.
Both were handled on Erickson's first try, which gave him an advantage over Lincoln-Way East's Joe Noonan, who missed on his initial attempt at 16-9. Noonan gambled and had event officials raise the bar to 17-1 in a final effort to pass Erickson, but he was unable to do so.
What made Erickson's victory somewhat surprising was that his winning vault represented a personal best by 6 inches.
"I'm more of a competition kind of guy," he said. "That's what I thrive on. I jump technically well in practice, but I don't get that height."
Erickson certainly didn't at the Prep Top Times indoor meet in March 2007. Even though he entered as the top seed, Erickson bowed out at 14 feet.
"I think that put a little fire in my belly," he said. "It definitely got me back to earth."
But while he knew the state meet would offer an opportunity for redemption, Erickson also understood the chances he'd get to hone his performance before that would be limited. Perhaps that was the reason nobody but Erickson got overly exuberant about what might lie ahead at Charleston.
"I was confident, but everybody else was kind of wary," Erickson said. "My parents were saying, 'Let's just see what happens.' But it was a perfect day (weather-wise) and once I got into the state meet, it didn't seem like it was too hard."
It wasn't, and repeating as state champ is at the top of Erickson's 2008 goals. However, he acknowledges that the climate has changed, at least as far as how he's perceived by competitors.
"This year, it's a whole different ballgame," Erickson said. "Everyone's kind of creeping up on me. It's hard to be the guy everyone's coming after."
Chasing Erickson is one thing. Catching -- and passing him -- is something else. Johnson said Erickson will work hard to find a way to stay in front of the pack.
"Some guys answer the bell, some don't," Johnson said. "He does. I could see him kind of grab hold of something each and every year -- the light bulb went off, and he'd just keep working at it.
"He really improved his running (between his sophomore and junior seasons) and he was able to generate more energy on the runway. That was a huge improvement."
In Erickson's mind, he's only doing what every pole vaulter should do.
"Repetition is the biggest thing," he said. "You need at least 10 years to become competitively elite. If you get bored (easily) and don't go to practice, you won't make it. You've got to just grind it out.
"You've got to work your way up, and if you turn the light off for a second and you're not there (mentally), you're not going to go anywhere. Once you get things down, you get a routine."
Practice doesn't always make perfect; if it did, Erickson might still be undefeated. But anyone wanting to beat him in late May must be prepared to battle.
"He's made great progress," Johnson said. "He's done a great job for a guy who's only been doing it for 3 1/2 years and has vaulted in very limited meets. He makes the most of the meets he jumps in."