Unique pairing works for Fox

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

People tell Hayden Fox how unique his status as both a pole vaulter and javelin thrower is all the time. His response?

“They’re really not all that different.”

In his senior season at Hempfield, Fox is ranked first in the WPIAL’s pole vault and javelin rankings — a blend of high-flying and long-throwing excellence rarely seen in high school track and field.

But the way Fox describes them, it’s a surprise more high schoolers don’t pursue both events.

“For both pole vault and javelin, you’re training for speed and explosiveness,” he said.

“As different as they may seem from the outside, the training, technique and execution are very similar.”

Fox calls pole vaulting his “bread and butter event.” He has been propelling himself over the bar since middle school, said he puts 90 percent of his track and field focus on pole vaulting and describes flying through the air as “the best feeling in the world.”

Javelin, on the other hand, is “therapeutic,” he said.

“I’m so relaxed when I’m throwing javelin. Pole vaulting is one of the most frustrating things imaginable. It’s given me a run for my money. Javelin comes much more easily.”

Fox attributes that ease to years of playing baseball — a sport he gave up after breaking his ankle in ninth grade so he could fully focus on pole vaulting.

Years of playing in the outfield built up a strong arm and made throwing a javelin feel natural for Fox.

“Throwing the ball in from the outfield and throwing a javelin are both about throwing it as far as you can,” Fox said.

“That’s simply put, but it’s true.”

Fox’s friend and former state champion pole vaulter Griffin Thompson said it’s not that simple.

“The old cliché says pole vaulting is the most technical thing in track and field because there are over 200 things to memorize,” said Thompson, a freshman pole vaulter at Penn State. “Well, javelin is the second most technical.”

Fox’s dedication to the little things in both “highly technical” events has paved the way to a success-filled high school career, Hempfield head track and field coach Ron Colland said.

“I’ve had kids pole vault and do javelin before,” said Colland, who has been coaching for 43 years, “but Hayden is head and shoulders the best at doing both. He’s truly a multitalented kid.”

As for his immediate future, Fox will attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School next year before moving on to the Naval Academy the following year.

The ability to continue with both pole vaulting and javelin in college was a mandatory stipulation to every school that recruited him, Fox said.

And further down the road, Fox hasn’t ruled out becoming a decathlete.

“I’m reluctant to commit to doing a decathlon, but it’s definitely a possibility,” said Fox, who has already found plenty of success in two of the competition’s 10 events. “I can’t stand running, so for now, I’ll stick to the two things I love.”