Geoff Stiles: Pole Vaulter With Style

Geoff Stiles, a cool competitor who makes few miscalculations, proved himself wrong Saturday.

"At the beginning of the season I wanted to do 17 feet and place in the NCAAs, but I didn't think I'd get a shot," he said.

Underestimations not with standing, superman Stiles leaped 17-ft 3-in. in a single bound to become the national collegiate pole vault champion last weekend in Detroit.

Not only did Stiles' vault distinguish him as All-American, it also established new Ivy League, New England, and Harvard records--while topping his IC4A record-setting vault and personal best by three inches.

Steadiness and control categorize both Stiles's mental state and improvement through his Crimson career.

"Geoff is remarkably calm, almost dispassionate," coach Bill McCurdy said yesterday, adding, "You saw it when he walked in as a freshman."

When Stiles arrived at the "Big H" he boasted a 14-ft. 6-in. personal best and a number ten ranking among high school vaulters in Souther California.

It All Started...

"I started pole vaulting in seventh grade because that year I ran the 75-yd. dash and lost every time, so I figured I'd better find a different event," the Palos Verdes native said.

Working out almost every day of his freshman year, Stiles captured the pole vault at the outdoor GBCs, registering a 13-inch improvement in less than a year.

Except for a change to a stiffer and longer pole, his style has remained more or less constant, although the Eliot House senior did have to make some adjustments since the short runway in Brigg's Cage cut more than 35 feet off his approach.

As if that weren't enough, Stiles had to remove the runway after each vaulting session to make space for the baseball team which also trained in Briggs.

"I look back and I can't believe I went through the trouble of putting down the runway every day," Stiles said. "I was just a freshman," he added.

Stiles' dedication paid off. As a sophomore, Stiles consistently hit 15-ft. 9-in. and won the majority of the local meets he entered.

Stiles continued his steady odyssey to the pinnacle of college vaulting last year by concentrating more on running and weight training than in previous years, and thus building up his strength.

In addition, Blaine Heckle, an ex-Harvard vaulter, an assistant coach for the women's track team and a physics tutor, helped boost Stiles's mental attitude by explaining the vault in scientific terms.

"Blaine's logical explanations made everything I was trying to do seem meaningful," Stiles said.

The move out of Briggs Cage and onto the fast surface at the ITT in 1977 also added to Stiles's improved vaulting ability, although the hardness of the tennis courts which double as a runway "destroys your legs."

As a junior, the 6-ft. 2-in. 170-pounder snatched top honors at the IC4As with the bar at 16-ft. 6-in. His teammates later voted him captain of this year's squad.

Setting Examples

As captain, Stiles "led by performance and a quiet enthusiasm." associate coach Ed Stowell said yesterday. "You can't set a better example than winning the NCAA championship."

Stiles's record-breaking vault culminated a season in which, despite pulling hamstring and achilles muscles, the Biology major placed first in every meet, including the GBCs and Heptagonals, before going on to win the Easterns and Nationals in consecutive weekends.

"For the past two weeks I've been thinking of nothing but vaulting," Stiles said.

"When I get to the big meets, I close my eyes and go through what a good vault should be to get psyched," he added.

Stiles stressed the importance of concentration while vaulting but also noted some dangerous possible consequences: since he spends the first half of his run looking down, he has more than once come close to impaling people wandering across the runway.

During the actual vault, Stiles tries to concentrate on pulling himself over the bar, but said "it goes so fast, you really don't have time to think of anything."

Although Stiles laughs at the number of "head cases in vaulting;" he has performed "Junior Birdman routines" on occasions when the pole slipped and he back-flipped into the pit.

The moustached blond also points out that most good vaulters pull for each other since they view the bar, not the other contestants, as the opposition.

In addition to pole vaulting, Stiles occasionally high jumps and despite a lack of training in that event, he often places in meets.

"He's everything a coach could ask for because he's very fine athlete who learns quickly and remembers what works for him," Stowell said.

Concentration

While Stiles plans to go to medical school next year, he hopes to continue vaulting at a track club even though "it's useless to think about the Olympics because of the heavy competition in the United States."

Then again, Stiles didn't think he would make it to the NCAAs.

If Geoff lives long enough to be a doctor and I live long enough to be sick, then I want him to treat me. Bill McCurdy,   Harvard track coach