Johnson reaching new heights for Men's Track & Field
Written by Julia Fischer for CUWFalcons.com
It takes hard work, dedication, and lots of practice in order to reach the point where you have broken a school sports record. There are ups and downs of practice and training, but when you finally reach your goal all the effort and time is worth it. Grant Johnson was able to reach said goal in only his second year of competition. The Concordia University Wisconsin sophomore broke the pole vault record for indoor and outdoor Track and Field.
Johnson's indoor record came at the Carthage Final Qualifier in March as he cleared 4.31 meters. He tied the school mark (4.25) earlier in the season and was able to keep improving for the new record height. In the outdoor season, Johnson broke a 24-year old record at the Wartburg Outdoor Select on April 1.
This accomplishment for the Oconomowoc, Wisconsin native was a big mark in his life due to the fact that he had just recently taken up pole vaulting. In high school track and field, Johnson competed in long jump and triple jump. This year, Johnson has moved completely away from the long and triple jump and now only competes in pole vault. His experience in long and triple jump has helped him transition smoothly into pole vaulting due to the skills he learned jumping directly correlated with the set of skills a pole vaulter needs to be successful. Although breaking the record is a great achievement, both Johnson and pole vaulting coach Chas Walton know there is still room for lots of improvement.
"We see this victory as something we can continue to improve upon," Coach Walton said. "The height record he broke was a height he was obtaining in practice and he was finally able to nail it in a meet. Now the goal is to try and break that record and keep on working towards something bigger."
Practice makes perfect when it comes to Johnson working towards his goals. Practice for him consists of lots of repetition as well as honing in on his jumping form to make sure it is correct every time he performs. This pole vaulting athlete does well at bringing the same type of energy to practice as he does to a meet, allowing him to work differently in practice than others.
The goal for every athlete is to make the top ranked competitions such as Nationals. Although it might not happen this year, Johnson and Coach Walton are looking to push to get there as soon as they can. By hitting their marks and staying focused the duo thinks that next year, Nationals could be in reach for the talented vaulter.
Johnson's achievements have helped put the CUW men's pole vaulting team on the map. Over the past few years, the women's team pole vaulting team has been successful throughout the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Last year, Nicole Larson was a National qualifier, and this year the Women's team placed four inside the top five at the conference's indoor meet.
Now with Johnson's help, the men's team has started to make an impact in the NACC as well. With his accomplishments, Johnson will help bring in the recruits that Concordia Wisconsin needs to maintain its success in the event.
"I'm glad with my decision to switch from long and triple jump to pole vault," Johnson said. "Now that I have reached one of my goals, I can now continue to improve and reach higher, as well as help the program achieve greater."
