You're never too old to run, plant, fly

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/ ... xml&coll=2

You're never too old to run, plant, fly Pole-vaulters train for senior games
Friday, August 01, 2008
The Livingston Community News
Howard Booth runs full speed on the runway in his backyard.

He plants his pole in the box and propels his body into the air.

He clears the bungee-cord bar set at 12 feet. Landing on the cushioned pad, Booth immediately looks to his partner, Terry Woodward, for feedback.

"Nice! Good takeoff. Everything (was perfect),'' Woodward says.

The ritual begins again with Woodward. Run, plant, fly.

It's a sensation the two men grew up learning to love, pole-vaulting in high school and college. They refuse to let Father Time take it away.

Booth, 65, and Woodward, 54, train at least once a week at the makeshift facility Booth built in his Dexter Township backyard last year. They are gearing up for the Michigan Senior Olympics Aug. 9-17.

"This is pole-vault paradise,'' says Woodward, a Brighton resident who works as an engineer in Detroit. "It is probably one of the best in the country.

"If this wasn't here, I wouldn't be able to practice.''

Woodward is competing in his third Michigan Senior Olympics after a 32-year hiatus. He went to the Senior Olympic Nationals in 2007, finishing in the top 10 in his age group. His best vault since his comeback is 11 feet.


"Just being to compete again at this age, it gives me something to look forward to and stay in shape,'' he says. "It keeps you motivated.''

Booth rediscovered his passion for vaulting four years ago. A professor in Eastern Michigan University's biology department for 41 years, Booth began by training with the EMU men's and women's track teams. A gymnast and vaulter at EMU in the 1960s, he showed little rust, setting a state record for the 60-64 age group at his first Michigan Senior Olympics by clearing 8 feet, 10 inches. He's moved the mark up to 10 feet since then, and hopes to get it to 11 feet or higher.

He's still adjusting to today's technology from the steel poles he used as a youngster.

"I'm learning how to control the fiberglass pole and the bend of the pole. That has been a major relearning experience,'' he says. "There are a thousand little details, loading into the bend of the pole. In a way, it's like being a freshman in high school, knowing a little but having a lot more to learn.''

His facility has made training easier. The runway is a regulation 120 feet long, hidden in a valley among the large trees. EMU donated an old landing pad it was going to throw away, which can cost more than $12,000 new, Booth says.

A buddy has been begging Booth to take up golf, but he's not ready to slow down yet.

"People don't have any comprehension of all that goes into this,'' Booth says. "That's where there is the fascination (with it). It's physical chess. It keeps intriguing you long after you learn the basics.''