mark up to 17-4 1/2,
best in country in
Spartan takes
mark up to 17-4 1/2,
best in country in ’04
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
FARRAH MAFFAI staff Ocean Township’s Adam Sarafian is the new owner of a state record after he jumped 17-4 1/2 on Saturday at the Shore Conference Championships at Brick Township.
Adam Sarafian’s flight into New Jersey scholastic pole vaulting history was just the beginning for the Ocean Township senior.
Now that he delivered the state record he had predicted he would get, the perfectionist in him says "don’t stop."
"I can’t believe how high I was over the bar at 17-4 1/2," he pointed out. "It makes me wonder how high the peak of my jump is. Is it 18-0 feet? Is it 17-9? I want to find out."
Saturday, at the Shore Conference Championships held at Brick Township High School, Sarafian demolished the 24-year-old state record of 16-6 set by Bill Lange of Bridgewater-Raritan East in 1980 by 10 1/2 inches and his own personal best (16-4 3/4) by almost a foot. In addition to becoming the state’s first high school 17-footer, Sarafian recorded the top jump in the country for 2004 and No. 20 all-time.
"It’s amazing, I can’t explain it. It’s so awesome knowing that no one had done that before," Sarafian said of his state record. "It’s huge to be No. 1 in the country. It’s unbelievable.
"I’m still in shock," Sarafian added. "I’ve watched the video over and over and can’t believe how high I was over the bar."
Lost in all the records was his destruction of the 28-year-old meet record of 15-3 1/2 set by Southern Regional’s Bill Hartley.
By clearing 17-0, Sarafian knows he joined a very, very select group of high school vaulters.
"I always heard about 17-foot jumpers," he remarked. "There aren’t that many that do it. I wanted to be a 17-footer."
The University of Georgia-bound Sarafian said the conditions at Brick were ideal for pole vaulting.
"It was a beautiful day to jump," he said. "We had a tailwind and that was helpful."
Just how good the day was for pole vaulters was evident by the performances of those finishing behind Sarafian. Runner-up Maged Fattah of Toms River North and third-place finisher Paul Diercksen of Freehold Township both did 15-0 for the first time. Fourth-place finisher Doug Fertig of Marlboro also had a personal best (14-6). On any other day, those results would have won the championship. But not in 2004 with Sarafian vaulting higher than anyone in state history.
Everything clicked for the Spartan from the start.
"I had a good warm-up," he said. "At 15-0 and 15-6 I just did lazy jumps just to get over the bar, and I couldn’t believe how much I was clearing the bar by. That was the first time I thought it would be a good day.
"At 16-0 I had to jump hard and at 16-7 1/2 I really had to jump hard," he added. "My run was perfect, and when I had made it I said, ‘I finally did it.’ "
Sarafian, who had made every one of his heights on his first attempt, wasn’t finished yet. The bar was raised to 17-4 1/2 and on his third attempt, he sailed easily over the bar to take the state record into the stratosphere.
"On my second try I was really high over the bar and came down on it," said Sarafian. "I knew I had to just get it. My third try I cleared it by a lot.
"I thought my third try would be a bail-out," he added. "My legs just flipped up, and after that everything just happened."
The Spartan took three cracks at 17-9 1/2, but with eight jumps already, he knew there wasn’t much left.
"I knew I was getting to the end," he said.
Sarafian believes the secret to his success wasn’t the pole he was using or any improved technique, but rather rest.
"The best thing I did was to take four days off before the meet," he explained. "I was well rested.
"I did nothing before the meet in Florida [the Florida Relays, where he did his 16-4 3/4 in March] and it worked," he added.
For the rest of the season, Sarafian will limit his practice jumping to once a week to remain fresh for the state championship season and give himself the chance to raise his own record even further.
Bland, Grant double again
Sarafian’s nation-leading state record overshadowed some other outstanding performances turned in by area athletes at the conference championships.
Long Branch’s Mike Bland repeated his 100-200 Monmouth County double this time, holding off Ocean County’s best.
The century produced a blanket finish with Bland’s 10.76 nipping Toms River North’s Michael Rush (10.78) and Green Wave teammate Tunell Polk (10.81).
In the 200, Bland’s 22.16 was just ahead of Lakewood’s Craig Camerson (22.20).
Ocean’s Tiffany Grant won the longer 200-400 sprint double just as she had done the week at the county. The sophomore ran a 25.07 in the 200 and a 57.37 in the 400. Neither race was very close.
Today and tomorrow, the NJSIAA State Sectional will be held at two sites in Central Jersey, Monmouth Regional and Hillsborough.
Groups II and III will compete in Monmouth, and Groups I and IV in Hillsborough.
The state sectionals are the first steps toward the Meet of Champions. Athletes who finish in the top, including ties in their events, will advance to the State Group Championships the following weekend.