Tim Johnson wasn't happy with the state of coaching in pole vaulting in Illinois, so he decided to something about it starting about four years ago.

Marian Catholic's Melissa Gergel and Mitchell Erickson are certainly glad he did.

Under Johnson's tutelage, Gergel, a senior, claimed the Class AA girls pole vaulting title May 19. Erickson, a junior, secured the Class AA boys crown Saturday.

"Tim is just an unbelievable coach," Erickson said. "He's so laid-back and calm, and his knowledge of vaulting is just off the charts. I don't know where I'd be without him.

"He's taught me so much about proper grip and rotation. I give him a ton of credit."

Johnson's pole vaulting pedigree is indeed impressive.

A Bloom High School product, Johnson won state pole vaulting gold in 1973 and 1974. He also was a college All-American.

His older brother, Jan, owns family bragging rights in pole vaulting, however: He earned a bronze medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

"We've got some great talent here in Illinois," Tim Johnson said. "But in this event, you can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have proper instruction, then you're never going to go anywhere. Good coaching is incredibly important, especially since the event is so technique-oriented and can be really dangerous."

Johnson, a volunteer coach, helps several aspiring pole vaulters in the Chicago area.

"About four years ago, I decided to start helping out since we really did have a shortage of good vault coaches and many schools didn't have proper facilities or equipment," said Johnson, who by day is an information technologies manager in Tinley Park. "And I decided to hit up some of our old Bloom track buddies and we raised $20,000 to buy some quality poles for the kids.

'We do all of our training at Bloom Township, since they have nice facilities," Johnson added. "For people like Melissa and Mitchell, that's not that far. But I've also got kids who come from Naperville and the northern suburbs, too. The dedication that all of our kids have is just incredible. They have no problem driving all the way down to Bloom."

Johnson said watching Gergel and Erickson succeed at the state's biggest meet trumped anything else he had accomplished in his career.

"I think it was more nerve-racking watching Melissa and Mitchell than it was when I was actually competing," Johnson said. "I'm just glad that I was able to at least play some type of role in their success. As a coach, having two of your kids win titles is the ultimate; it's just awesome. And the best part is that the sky is the limit for both of these kids."