Longer pole may be factor in vaulter's death
Associated Press
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
State College, Pa. -- Focused and confident, Penn State pole vaulter Kevin Dare was coming off his best week of practice ever and was eager to pull off a victory at the Big Ten indoor track and field championships.
"I could just tell by talking to him that this was what he was waiting for," his father, Ed Dare, said of his 19-year-old son.
But while trying to complete a vault that was well below his personal best at the meet in Minneapolis, Dare fell headfirst and was killed, leaving his family, team and fellow competitors in shock.
The fall Saturday was probably the result of using a 16-foot pole, a foot longer than the one he had been using, Ed Dare said. In recent weeks, his son had jumped with the longer pole -- a necessary but difficult step for a vaulter to clear heights of 17 feet and above.
Dare was attempting a jump of 15 feet 7 inches -- well below his personal best of 17 feet -- when he tumbled backward and headfirst, onto the steel "box," an 8-inch-deep groove in the mat where vaulters plant the pole to lift themselves.
Instead of Dare pushing the pole down to spring over the crossbar, the longer pole pushed him up at the top of his arc, his father said.
He was pronounced dead of head injuries shortly after being taken to a hospital. The competition's Sunday events were canceled and the Penn State team returned home Sunday night.
Ed Dare and his wife Terri, who are well-known in State College for attending and videotaping their son's athletic events, witnessed the accident.
"Not only was he my son, he was my best friend, and that was the most important thing," Ed Dare said.
Kevin Dare and his 21-year-old brother, Eric, were both standouts in football and track and field at State College Area High School before attending Penn State, where Eric is a defensive back for the football team and throws the javelin in the spring.
Kevin Dare's coaches and teammates declined interviews Monday. The school announced a memorial scholarship fund in Dare's memory.
Former teammates described Kevin Dare as a motivator, a relaxed competitor who was a natural leader because of the respect he garnered. Pole vaulters on Dare's high school team said he still showed up for their matches to support them.
Ed Dare's sorrow was mixed with anger.
The steel standards -- the poles that balance the crossbar -- are not surrounded by padding, Dare said. Neither is the steel box, where Kevin hit his head.
"I'm going to tell you right now, if it takes me the rest of my life," Dare said, "I'm going to change the sport."