Siblings represent Shickley in pole vault
OMAHA — It’s been a long, dry spell for Shickley, but Bump Novacek was just the person to prime the pump.
Novacek, a three-time state high school pole vault champion from Gothenburg, came to Shickley to coach football.
“It all starts with the fact that Shickley is an unbelievable community. A man in the community whose youngest son graduated three or four years ago, handed me a check for $10,000 and asked if that was enough to buy pole vault pits,” said Novacek. “His kids will never use it. Maybe his grandkids. But he wanted Shickley to have pole vault again.”
Kylee and Luke Schweitzer are the first pole vaulters from Shickley to qualify for the state track meet im more than 30 years. Novacek said Dallas Schelegel went 11-feet for the Longhorns sometime in the early 1970s.
In just one season, that school record fell. Luke Schweitzer, a sophomore whose best effort had been
10-6, cleared 12-0 at the district meet last week.
The Novacek mystique — he was the 16-foot pole vaulter who wore sunglasses while competing at the state meet — drew a crowd.
In addition to the brother and sister tandem, freshman William Mick was part of the pole vaulting crew. His younger sister, Cynthia, made sure to tell Coach Novacek she cut her hair after she knocked off the bar with a flying ponytail. Karson Novacek, the coach’s son, is a seventh grader and has already cleared 10-feet. That’s understandable, considering his dad hit 16-0 in high school and won three all-class Gold medals, from 1983-1985.
“John Mick has been fantastic. He has six kids and they’ll all be vaulters. He was a 13-6 vaulter in Kansas,” said Coach Novacek. “We have a good nucleus and we’re young, except for Kylee.”
Kylee, a senior, was disappointed in her state-meet performance, which was a foot less than her qualifying mark. But then she reflected on the whirlwind season.
“You don’t see immediate results in the pole vault. But it’s fun to wait it out,” she said. “I did it because it was something new and different. And Coach Novacek was very positive about doing it.”
When the new pits arrived, there was still some work to be done.
“We had a plant box, but it was filled with cement,” said Luke Schweitzer.
Scott Shipley, the girls’ basketball coach and co-head track coach with Novacek, said he had the box filled to avoid someone getting injured.
Even then, the younger Schweitzer had to be patient.
“He didn’t start vaulting until the fourth meet. He just wasn’t ready,” said Novacek. “Kylee was jumping right off the bat.”
Luke Schweitzer, who also is a trapshooter, progressed quickly.
“I went through five poles this year. I started out on a 140-pound pole, went to 150 and then 160. Then I went to a 13-foot-7 pole and then a 14-footer,” he said. “But if you can’t make it over, there’s no need to be on a big pole.
“My dad taped my 12-foot vault and it’s hilarious because Coach Novacek screamed in such a high-pitched voice.”
Schweitzer is still learning the ropes.
“There’s a lot of adrenaline involved. Sometimes in practice, it seems like I’m going through the motions,” he said. “And then I get to a meet and I have to move my steps back because the adrenaline is pumping.”
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
Novacek, a three-time state high school pole vault champion from Gothenburg, came to Shickley to coach football.
“It all starts with the fact that Shickley is an unbelievable community. A man in the community whose youngest son graduated three or four years ago, handed me a check for $10,000 and asked if that was enough to buy pole vault pits,” said Novacek. “His kids will never use it. Maybe his grandkids. But he wanted Shickley to have pole vault again.”
Kylee and Luke Schweitzer are the first pole vaulters from Shickley to qualify for the state track meet im more than 30 years. Novacek said Dallas Schelegel went 11-feet for the Longhorns sometime in the early 1970s.
In just one season, that school record fell. Luke Schweitzer, a sophomore whose best effort had been
10-6, cleared 12-0 at the district meet last week.
The Novacek mystique — he was the 16-foot pole vaulter who wore sunglasses while competing at the state meet — drew a crowd.
In addition to the brother and sister tandem, freshman William Mick was part of the pole vaulting crew. His younger sister, Cynthia, made sure to tell Coach Novacek she cut her hair after she knocked off the bar with a flying ponytail. Karson Novacek, the coach’s son, is a seventh grader and has already cleared 10-feet. That’s understandable, considering his dad hit 16-0 in high school and won three all-class Gold medals, from 1983-1985.
“John Mick has been fantastic. He has six kids and they’ll all be vaulters. He was a 13-6 vaulter in Kansas,” said Coach Novacek. “We have a good nucleus and we’re young, except for Kylee.”
Kylee, a senior, was disappointed in her state-meet performance, which was a foot less than her qualifying mark. But then she reflected on the whirlwind season.
“You don’t see immediate results in the pole vault. But it’s fun to wait it out,” she said. “I did it because it was something new and different. And Coach Novacek was very positive about doing it.”
When the new pits arrived, there was still some work to be done.
“We had a plant box, but it was filled with cement,” said Luke Schweitzer.
Scott Shipley, the girls’ basketball coach and co-head track coach with Novacek, said he had the box filled to avoid someone getting injured.
Even then, the younger Schweitzer had to be patient.
“He didn’t start vaulting until the fourth meet. He just wasn’t ready,” said Novacek. “Kylee was jumping right off the bat.”
Luke Schweitzer, who also is a trapshooter, progressed quickly.
“I went through five poles this year. I started out on a 140-pound pole, went to 150 and then 160. Then I went to a 13-foot-7 pole and then a 14-footer,” he said. “But if you can’t make it over, there’s no need to be on a big pole.
“My dad taped my 12-foot vault and it’s hilarious because Coach Novacek screamed in such a high-pitched voice.”
Schweitzer is still learning the ropes.
“There’s a lot of adrenaline involved. Sometimes in practice, it seems like I’m going through the motions,” he said. “And then I get to a meet and I have to move my steps back because the adrenaline is pumping.”
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.