Source
Saturday, June 17, 2006 9:47 PM CDT
By Neal McClelland THE DAILY IBERIAN
- For the past year, New Heights gym has been more than just a gymnastics haven. It also has become a leader in track and field in the specialty of pole vaulting.
Under the leadership of former collegiate pole vaulter Shane LeLeux, the gym has produced several outstanding efforts.
Shane's daughter, Morgann, recently received national attention when she set a new national mark in clearing a height of 11 feet, the first time that had been done in the 13-14-year-old age division. It was actually the third time she had broke the barrier at a track meet this year but it was the first time that a U.S. Track and Field official could verify the mark.
Also, the pole vault club at New Heights swept the top three places in Boys 15-16-year-old division at the Southern Association Track & Field Championships last weekend in Lafayette.
One of the members, Vermilion Catholic's Karly King, won the Class A pole vault at the LHSAA State Championships back in May.
Seemingly out of nowhere, New Heights has burst on the track and field scene with all of these pole vaulters.
"It really started with Morgann, my oldest," said LeLeux. "When she was 4 she was in gymnastics and she became a top level gymnast. We had a love for this sport, then the had a love for pole vaulting, probably because daddy was doing it.
"When Bridget and I bought out Bass Gymnastics, I told her that if we are going to do this then I needed a hobby and about a year after we opened in 2005, we put the (pole vault) pit in."
After slowly acquiring the poles needed, LeLeux has become equipped for any girl who can walk through the door at New Heights and has been acquiring more inventory for boys who are interested in the sport.
"That's how we got started," said LeLeux.
Leleux started in pole vaulting in eighth grade.
"I had a coach at Catholic High, Darcy Delcambre, who was an ex-college vaulter, saw something in me and got me interested and the rest is history," said LeLeux. "He's the father figure for me. He taught me how to vault and showed me everything I needed to know at that time.
"I was the second person out of Catholic High to get a vaulting scholarship, Lee LeBlanc was the first. I jumped for Catholic High from 1983-86 and went to Northwestern State first and then went to Southeastern Louisiana and finished off my career there."
One of the highlights for LeLeux during his vaulting days was the opportunity to work with the then Russian world record holder Sergi Bubka, who was in New Orleans training before the 1988 Summer Olympic Games.
"I didn't understand the language too much, but I got to train with them and after learning their style, I went from a 15 foot jumper to a 17 foot jumper in a matter of months."
One thing that LeLeux realized was that there was a lot of gymnastics involved with vaulting.
"Everything they did was based on gymnastics skills," said LeLeux. "People don't realize that Bubka was a world class gymnast until the age of 13 when the Soviets recruited him into the vaulting program.
"That's why my kids are doing so well. The training is based on gymnastics and the kids do a lot of gymnastics skills before they even jump."
Soon after starting pole vaulting at New Heights, LeLeux was getting interest from students. Among those that have become members were Erath's Chyna Toups and New Iberia Senior High's Steven David, and also had students at one time from as far away as Basile, Pine Prairie and Grand Lake/
"I started in the seventh grade and I've been hooked on it," said Toups. "Since then it's been the biggest adrenaline rush in the world. I met Shane at a junior track meet I was working and got his number. I called him the next week and started working with him since last year."
David, who was on track to qualify for the state meet in Class 5A this past season before injuring himself late in the year, also loves pole vaulting.
"In eighth grade, my basketball coach told me that I was too clumsy to pole vault and I wanted to prove him wrong," said David. "A couple of athletes from NISH, Matt Lopez and James Hodge, had come over here and they like it and I came over to try it and fell in love with it."
LeLeux wants to use the pole vaulting as an opportunity to get his kids a chance to go to college on a track scholarships, specializing in pole vaulting.
"I have plans to open another gym that specializes in pole vaulting," said LeLeux. "If you look at the state meet, out of 45 kids that qualified for pole vaulting, I actually trained 28 of them.
"This year we got two kids pole vaulting scholarships. My main thing is to get kids signed. I have four seniors this year. I want to get them high and get them signed."