Ballard helps take LA Tech vaulting to new heights
RUSTON - The torch is ready to be passed on the Louisiana Tech Track and Field team.
This passing is not occurring on the track during a relay or such. Instead, its occurrence is with the pole vaulters as one particular athlete prepares to hand the reigns to the younger guys.
Gregory Ballard, a senior pole vaulter at LA Tech, recently broke the outdoor record after recording a mark of 16-8.75 at the SFA Carl Kight Invitational on April 7. Breaking records is something Ballard has grown accustomed to doing as he has owned nearly every vaulting record Tech has to offer the past three years.
“My sophomore year I broke the outdoor record at 16.2 feet,” Ballard said. “When I did that it had stood for almost 40 years. That was crazy.”
Ballard said he is constantly challenging himself when it comes to setting goals.
“What I always do is set a record for myself,” he said. “When I was in high school I wanted to break 15 feet. So I cleared 15. I wanted to set a record for myself at 16 feet and I got 16-2. I set records for myself that I can aim for. I am going for 17 feet next.”
When Ballard arrived at Tech in 2014, he was alone in his specific sport.
“That was kind of a hard year jumping by myself,” Ballard said. “It was hard to progress. I got faster, but it was hard to get better pole vaulting because I was the only one there.”
As years went by, LA Tech head coach Gary Stanley and his coaching staff provided Ballard with more competition in the form of new teammates. This year, Ballard got one particular teammate who seems primed to take over as the face of Tech pole vaulting.
Cole Courtois, a freshman pole vaulter, recently broke the indoor record after he registered a mark of 17-0.25 (5.19m) in his first season on campus.
Ballard said his game has only gotten better with the arrival of Courtois and his other teammates.
“As younger pole vault-
ers came in, I was able to share my techniques with them and them with me,’ Ballard said. “That has allowed me to progress. That is something valuable since Cole got here. He has really good form, so everything he shares with me I am benefiting. And hopefully I have some things that I do that he can learn from.”
The switch from high school to collegiate vaulting has already done wonders for Courtois’s game as he seems primed to break more records.
“When I got here I worked a lot more on speed and weightlifting, so I got stronger and faster,” Courtois said. “Our coach really helped with me breaking the record. With this new training I received from Tech it became fairly easy to break it.”
Courtois has not only progressed from training, but primarily from watching Ballard show how Tech vaulting is done.
“Greg has a pretty big impact on me,” Courtois said. “I look at him and we share the same competitive level. He pushes me to get better and I feel like I push him a lot as well. I feel we have a really good connection and helps me out so much. He is the biggest reason why I get better and better.”
Ballard feels he must point the younger
guys in the right direction and continue to inspire them as they move along in their collegiate careers as Bulldogs.
“It is important that I show a desire to further the program,” Ballard said. “I must show a dedication to what is going on here.”
Ballard said he foresees something special this season, something that has not been done in school history.
“I think we can go far this year,” Ballard said. “In these next few meets, if Cole jumps near what he did during the indoor season, then that should put both of us at a mark that will qualify us for the regional championship meet – that is a huge step for Tech pole vaulting because no one has ever qualified.”
Courtois said he is confident newcomers like himself can keep Louisiana Tech track and field relevant for many years to come.
“More and more guys are coming in making track and field at Louisiana Tech a big thing,” Courtois said. “The younger people have a drive to be better than the older people and be the best.”
Ballard believes the future for Tech pole vaulting is extraordinarily bright, which allows him to not hesitate passing the torch to the younger generation.
“The future looks bright for pole vaulting at Louisiana Tech,” Ballard said. “Also, for vaulting in general. Lately, there has been a lot of high jumps from young people – higher and higher jumps from younger ages.”