PROVO — About an hour after he eclipsed the 16-foot mark and broke the 4A pole-vault record, Timpview senior Bob Low smiled like a kid who had locked his sister in the closet and gotten away with it.
His secret?
He grazed the bar on the way over.
"It wiggled," he said, "but I knew it was staying on there."
Don't bother second-guessing Low's feat, which was the highlight of an otherwise languid first day of the state track and field meet at BYU.
After all, he nearly broke the record several times this season, and after clearing 16 feet, 1/2 inches Friday to finally set the new standard, he went for more and almost slithered over at 16-5.
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This from a guy who nearly gave up vaulting after he missed the state meet as a freshman. "Well," he told himself then, "I guess this isn't going to be one of my events." But Low transferred to Timpview, where he found a new training partner in Brad Ellerton and a renewed interest in vaulting — not to mention a new technique that would help him win last year's state title.
"I'm not usually the biggest guy," Low said. "My secret is my speed."
On Friday, a day when all but a few of the points came from field events — most running finals are today — the favorites cruised to early leads.
A glance at early results:Class 5A: Davis, well on its way to its first boys title since 1993, finished the afternoon with 38.33 points, ahead of Viewmont (18), Weber (16) and Copper Hills (14). The Darts got one first-place finish — from Robbie Allred in the discus — but most of their points came from a handful of thirds, fourths and fifths: Davis had at least two scorers in all but one of the events that finished Friday.
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