COLORADO SPRINGS – Garrett Costa completely understands his role for the Coronado track team. He has to clear his pole vault jumps to the best of his ability and be there to support his teammates the rest of the way.
Some days are easier than others. Take the Petrelli and Hunt Invitational for example. The overall field didn’t provide the most competitive pole vault atmosphere, but there was still a lot of good that he could get out of making his jumps.
“Where I want to be at the end of the year, I want to pole vault for (the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs),” Costa said. “With one of these where there are so few competitors, it’s not so much a competition but it’s in between a practice and competition. I get the adrenaline of competition with a bar, but overall it’s not that big a deal. I didn’t hit my PR today, but it’s not a big deal because it’s such a small field.”
His top jump this season is 11 feet, 3 inches. That’s good in the sense that he would’ve placed in the top 13 at state last spring with that jump, but he knows that he needs to keep working and aim higher.
What could also help the spark of a big meet atmosphere that can push him to perform just a bit better.
“It’s not always like this,” Costa said. “When I go to Jeffco or Dutch Clark there are going to be a lot more people. This time, nobody was cheering me on. It’s not so much that it helps me, but it helps me in the sense of knowing (the stakes are higher).”
Pole vaulting can be a lonely venture at times. In the entire Colorado Springs area, there are just four competitors that have cleared 11 feet in the event. Costa is ranked No. 4 among those jumpers but certainly has the look and the drive of an athlete that can push himself to greater heights.
A part of that mentality is knowing that he can play a role in his team’s success on top of what he’s able to do for himself. It helps keep his perspective in the sense that his event is maybe more of an individual competition than any other event at a track and field meet, but he’s still a part of a full program.
“Not a lot of people pole vault and not a lot of people watch pole vaulting,” he said. “It still counts for the same amount of points as everything else. It’s good to know that even though it’s a small event, I’m still bringing in as much team spirit and bring as many points as I can for the team.”
His effort played a role in the Coronado boys taking the team win at the Petrelli and Hunt Invite at Garry Berry Stadium on April 8. But with so much season still ahead of him, he knows he has greater heights to vault toward as he takes aim at the state track meet.