Sankey
vaults onto St. Francis' team
BUTLER TWP — Skye Sankey's first name has nothing to do with pole vaulting.
But it fits.
The recent
"I'm in my second year as head coach and the university had never
recruited a true pole vaulter before," said St. Francis track and field
coach Felix Moreno. "I brought one in last year and she won the Northeast
Conference championship in her first season.
"Skye can be every bit as good. I'm very impressed with her."
Moreno also specializes as pole vault coach at St. Francis. His first pole
vaulting recruit was Elizabeth DeMedal from Wilmington High School.
"Skye can join her and finish in the top two at the NECmeet next
year,"Moreno said. "She should be able to hit 11 or 12 feet as a
freshman without too much trouble."
Sankey's personal best in high school was 10 feet, 6 inches. She was Butler's
Field MVPthis season, was undefeated in dual meets as a junior and senior, and
placed 12th in the pole vault at the PIAAChampionships.
Butler pole vault coach Paul Schwab said the technology used in college
coaching will help take Sankey to the next level.
"It's just a matter of straightening out minor details for
Skye,"Schwab said. "A longer approach to generate more speed,
dropping her knee more at takeoff, stuff like that.
"(St. Francis (coaches) already have a video of Skye's approach and
technique, right alongside that of Stacy Dragila's. You can see the difference
in the knee-drops."
Dragila is a former pole vaulter at Idaho State who went on to win the gold
medal in the event at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Sankey was a gymnast as a youngster, developing body awareness that made her a
natural for the pole vault, Schwab said.
"She has flawless form,"the Butler coach said. "She has made the
transition well."
Sankey began gymnastics when she was 4 and stayed with it until age 14. She
began pole vaulting in seventh grade.
A pole vaulting injury, coupled with a growth spurt, ended her gymnastics
career.
"I just couldn't do it anymore,"Sankey said. "But everything
worked out. I love the pole vault and I've been able to work toward a
scholarship for it."
Sankey's parents, Ron and Ronnie Sankey, have been taking her to Vertical
Assault, a pole vaulting camp in Bethlehem, nearly every weekend to assist her
development.
"I give her parents a lot of credit for that,"Schwab said. "They
know how self-motivated she is, and you have to be self-motivated to succeed in
this event.
"You can't just grab a bunch of buddies and say, 'let's go practice pole
vaulting.' You need the pole, the facility — it takes true dedication to become
good at it," he added
While Sankey specialized in the pole vault at Butler, she competed in other
events as well.
"I ran everything from the 100 (meters) to the (1,600 relay)," she
said. "Wherever they needed somebody, they threw me in. I even did the
hurdles a couple of times."
She might do the hurdles a few more times.
"She is an extremely versatile athlete,"Moreno said. "She can do
the long jump, some sprints or hurdles, but make no mistake. When it comes to
our conference meet, she's a pole vaulter."
Sankey even has experience coaching the pole vault. She worked with her mother
during the Keystone Games last year.
"Yeah, we got her out there twice last year,"Sankey said. "I
think she hit 8 feet."
Sankey settled on St. Francis over Slippery Rock University and West Virginia
University because of the school's physical therapy program.
Her parents settled on her first name when they were dating at Knoch High, long
before she came into the world.
"My dad picked it out and they just stayed with it,"Sankey said.
Good choice.