Pirate Pick: Senior Mark Sabin breaks school pole vaulting record

Mark Sabin lets go of the pole and falls after his record breaking jump.

    “I am so obsessed with pole vaulting,” said senior Mark Sabin. “It’s in that one moment where you know you’re good at something and you can just let yourself fall.”

   Sabin has been on the South track team for three years. First, he broke the school record for pole vaulting, then he beat it again.  Sabin said, “[L]ast year I broke the school record at the NJ Meet of Champions with a jump of 14’6”. This past meet I jumped 14’7” and then 15’0.” Sabin beat his previous best record.   

    In pole vaulting, athletes use a long flexible pole often made of carbon fiber to vault over a bar. Although the sport is easily explained, watching Sabin’s performance shows the dedication required to master the sport.

    “Before I vault I am always worried about whether my steps are right or not. Whenever steps are more than a foot or so off, it is impossible to jump well,” explained Sabin.

    Sabin did not join the track team to pole vault. Track and field Coach Matthew Coburn said he first came to the team as a sophomore to take part in field events such as high jump that are not centered around running. “He even used to run Cross Country,” Coach Coburn said. “He actually threw Shot Put for a time with the Track team. Then he got his sights set on Pole Vault.” Sabin started looking into pole vaulting on his own.

     “When I started pole vaulting I had no clue what it even was, but I had a background in climbing, so from the beginning, nothing was uncomfortable about being upside-down high in the air with what used to seem to be little control over how you move,” Sabin said.

    Since South does not have a specific coach for pole vaulting, Sabin had to teach himself the techniques to get better.  Coach Coburn described Sabin’s journey: “He taught himself almost everything he needed to know to get started with pole vaulting from the internet. Then, once he was certain he could achieve the basics and was unable to teach himself anything new, he sought out private pole vault coaches and went to work with them on the weekends.” Coach Coburn said, “I’m telling you his drive for excellence is incredible.”

    Sabin works tirelessly and pushes himself to do his best. Sabin described his self-motivation as, “Getting up on a Sunday morning to get pole drops in, and pushing another set of core even though you think you’ve done enough.”

      Sabin’s focus and motivation to do better is because of his love for the sport. Sabin explained, “Even though when I am vaulting I don’t really feel anything out of the ordinary, there is one moment at the top of a jump right after I go over the bar when I know whether or not you cleared, and  I feel pure elation.”

    Coach Coburn noted that this passion reflects itself in Sabin’s effort. “He is by far and away one of the hardest workers I have ever come across at South. He is disciplined, dedicated to his craft and uncompromising when it comes to his training. That he broke the school record and then his own record this year is a testament to his character and work ethic.”

    Not only does Sabin work towards vaulting higher, but he also helps teach other athletes how to pole vault. “By teaching others how to vault, he may have actually made himself a better vaulter,” Coach Coburn said.

   Sabin’s three years of student coaching and diligent training paid off: he placed fifth at the Meet of Champions, a statewide competition, last year. This year he is aiming to land in the top three.

   Sabin plans to continue his pole vaulting career at Lafayette college for the next four years.

    Coach Coburn commented that Mark has always been a self-driven vaulter. “I have never actually ‘coached’ Mark at all,” Coach Coburn said, “We just gave him the space and freedom he required to be successful.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK SABIN