The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It’s not every day you find a father grooming his son to take over a legacy he created for himself.

Meet Brent Vanderpool, the Bahamas national pole vault record holder, who is training his son Brenden to become the next athlete to surpass his mark of 16-feet, 01/2-feet or 4.89 metres that he first established at home in 1987 before he solidified it in Nice, France, on June 12, 1995.

Now residing in Atlanta, Georgia, with his family, Vanderpool’s 16-year-old son Brenden has already niched his own pathway to success by clearing 15-2 (4.62m) to surpass the Bahamas’ junior national record of 13-11 3/4 (4.26m) that was set by his late godfather Brent Johnson on April 19, 1987, at the CARIFTA Games in Trinidad & Tobago.

The record, however, has not yet been ratified by the of Athletic Associations. Brenden, an 11th grade student at Whitefield Academy, is now aiming to replace his father’s long-standing mark either when he competes this weekend at the 7th annual Georgia Indoor State Pole Vault Championships or at the CARIFTA Games in Jamaica in April, if he’s selected by the BAAA following the trials, scheduled for March 25-26.

The Indoor State Pole Vault Championships, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, is the oldest pole vault specific indoor state competition in the USA. Hosted by the Atlanta Track Club, Pole Vault Atlanta and SMART Meet Management, the competition is expected to feature around 70-80 jumpers in the Masters, Open Division and Youth Divisions for girls and boys.

Brenden, at six-feet towering over his 5-11 father, is one of the top two contenders for the boys’ title at the championships. He defeated his arch-rival Alon Rogow, a 12th grader at Dunwoody, in their first head-to-head meeting about a week ago.

But there’s expected to be a lot of fireworks when they clash again on Sunday to determine the A divisional boys’ state champion.

Having his 56-year-old father as his coach and mentor has helped to motivate and inspire Brenden to achieve the level of success he has so far. But he said it’s also the driving force for him to go out and pursue the sport as far as he can in the future.

“In the earlier stage of my jumping, I made a board with a trophy on top of it,” Brenden said. “On the board, it has my father’s national record on it. That is my goal. It’s s huge goal and that is why I keep pushing myself. “That was what got me started and keeps me going. We both want it, but I think because I have fallen so much in love with the sport that I really want it a little more than he does.”

This weekend. Brenden said he hopes to continue to improve on his PR and if he does, he should be able to add the title to the Vanderpool collection that includes Brent’s gold in the under-20 boys’ division at the 1983 CARIFTA Games in Martinique with 12-9 ½ (3.90m) when he beat out fellow Bahamian Richard Parker (12-6 or 3.81m).

“It’s going to be a big meet,” said Brent, who graduated from St Augustine’s College in 1983 and went on to compete for Delaware State University up to 1988 before he completed his collegiate tenure at George Washington University in 1982.

“We’re looking forward to him putting on a very good performance. He’s already improved his personal best by 30 inches in less than nine months. So I’m looking for some good performances from him this weekend.”

From the time he ventured into the sport, Brenden said he knew this was where he belongs and he’s taking advantage of every opportunity he gets to compete. “I did a year in track and field in middle school, then I stopped and played soccer for one year, then I came back and now I’m stuck in track and field,” said Brenden of his introduction to the sport.

“My dad introduced me to pole vault and that was what got me started. Having that support base from him and knowing what he achieved, I decided to pursue it. I did a little bit of basketball, but I really love competing in track and field, especially the pole vault.”

One of his goals this year is to qualify for the CARIFTA Games and to go to Jamaica and win a medal just like his father Brent did.

“In 1976, my mother was watching the Montreal Olympics and Bruce Jenner was competing in the pole vault in the decathlon for the United States,” Brent said. “We then put up some bars in our backyard and I started jumping on a mattress.

“From that, four persons in my neighbourhood went on to represent the Bahamas at the CARIFTA Games in the pole vault, including Brent Johnson, who won the gold in 1985,” said Brent, a CARIFTA gold medallist. “The other were my brother, Jean, who won a gold in 1986 and Duane Edwards, who competed that same year.”

For years, Brent said he was grooming his son in their backyard in Atlanta doing a lot of gymnastics workouts, but he really didn’t reveal his plans until he started competing in the sport. As it turned out, Brent said it worked out quite well because Brenden has grown to love the sport and the discipline he’s involved in.

“He told me why and that was one of the reasons and I literally enjoyed it,” Brenden said. “I think it was cool and now I see why I continue to excel so fast in the sport. Those sessions have really pushed me further ahead in the sport.”

And having watched his national record stand the test of time over the years, Brent said if there’s anyone capable of breaking his mark, it could be Brenden. He noted that unlike when he competed and only had about four poles in his life, Brent said Brenden has at least eight poles at his disposal in practice and training.

“I’ve never had the resources that he has and that is one of the reasons why I feel he will be much better than I was,” Brent said.

Only time will tell how far Brenden will soar under the tutelage of his father Brent as a pole vault specialist.