Jacob Blankenship has immense pole vaulting talent, and all you have to do is look at his familial connections to see why.
Photo courtesy of Becky Lotteridge
It took a new snowboard and a stern lecture from his mother to launch Jacob Blankenship into a brilliant career as a national-caliber high school pole vaulter.
As a freshman, Blankenship showed up at
Lincoln (Gahanna, Ohio) track practice with great reluctance. Head coach Ed Rarey told MaxPreps, "I didn't know what to expect from him, because he was very hesitant. He talked about working out for football. I just told him to do whatever he thought was best."
Blankenship went home and talked to his mother, Becky Lottridge, who was an outstanding track athlete in her prep days.
Jacob Blankenship
Photo courtesy of Becky Lotteridge
"I got bribed by my mom with a snowboard," Blankenship admitted. "I've always been a huge snowboarder. I love extreme sports."
Rarey recalled, "The next day he came back (and got serious about track). She not only bought him the snowboard, but she told him what he was going to do."
Three years later, the 6-foot, 185-pound senior is the No. 1 pole vaulter in the nation with an indoor leap of 17 feet, 7 inches and is given an excellent chance of breaking the national prep outdoor record (18-3). Also a top student in the classroom, he will attend the University of Tennessee in the fall.
It all started with his grandfather, Bob Banhagel, who is still vaulting competitively at age 66. He cleared 12-0 a couple years ago and has won a few indoor age-group titles. Add on his uncle, Rob Banhagel, who still is competing at age 43. The talented trio competed in age-group vaulting three times this winter during indoor meets and could likely be the first-ever three-generation family to be active in competitive vaulting at the same time.
Bob and Rob have had their share of injuries, but they refuse to quit vaulting so they can help Jacob reach his full potential.
At the Reno Pole Vault Summit, Jacob jumped a record 17-4 1/2, Rob 14-8 and Bob an even 10 feet. At Marietta College, Jacob jumped 16-1, Rob 13-6 and Bob 10-0. At Oberlin College, Jacob cleared 17-6 1/2, Rob 14-6 and Bob 10-0.
"It's awesome," the teenage star said. "They understand and can put things in terms that you understand."
Bob started vaulting in 1959 as a seventh grader in Ionia, Mich., using a steel pole. He cleared 6 feet right off the bat and immediately caught the bug. As a high school senior he had a career-best leap of 13-6 and won the Class B state title at 13-1 in 1964. Even while competing, he was teaching peers the ins and outs of his specialty.
When Rob and Becky were growing up in Ortonville, Mich., Bob encouraged them to compete in track. In grade school, Rob tried vaulting with an old fishing pole.
"I hated it," he admitted. "We lived near a lake and I wanted to fish."
But they moved to Ionia just before Rob started eighth grade - where no lake was handy - and he started to get interested in the vault. Becky became an outstanding sprinter and long jumper.
As a ninth grader, Rob cleared 10 feet despite using a bamboo pole and jumping into an airbag, nicknamed the "Cloud 9 Pit." He called it "a dangerous piece of equipment." He finished second in the state as a senior with a leap officially listed at 14-10.
His best jump started at a measured 15-0, but the crossbar was aluminum and it got bent during the competition. Following a final measurement, his father, who was running the event, felt he should take 2 inches off the height because the middle of the bar was sagging slightly.
"I never forgave him for it," Rob insists. "I give him grief to this day."
Rob went to Western Michigan University, then ended up with his roommate, Frank Burke, transferring to Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo, Calif., to work under the coaching of Jan Johnson. He cleared 16-9 there. He later won a gold medal with a 17-0 leap during an international meet in Berlin, Germany, and had a career-best 17-6 effort competing unattached.
He did no vaulting from age 23 to 39.
Burke once told him, "You had a lot of talent, but you never pushed yourself to where you could have been."
Two things happened several years ago that changed everything for Rob. No. 1, his dad moved to Ohio so he could be close to him and Becky. Secondly, Jacob Blankenship started high school as a promising athlete. Both father and son joined the Masters track program so they could vault and train with Jacob.
"My priority is not me," Rob stressed. "Jake is my priority. Had I done what people told me I should do, I'd probably have been in California all my life. I said to Jake, 'God told me it wasn't my time, because I was supposed to be here (now) for you.' It was the right time and everything fell into place. We jump with Jake, because we don't like him to do things by himself."
Blankenship has come a long way from his junior high pole vault orientation during which he confessed, "I absolutely hated it."
He has a lot of people to credit, starting with his mother, grandfather and uncle. They are joined by his father, Kevin Blankenship, a bodybuilder who owns a gym and is his personal trainer; former Olympian Butch Reynolds, who is his speed coach; and his stepfather, Chris Lottridge, an airplane pilot who may be his most vocal fan.
Jacob Blankenship, center, with hisgrandfather (left) and uncle (right).
Photo courtesy of Becky Lotteridge
Then there is his high school coach, the 82-year-old legend Rarey, now in his 60th year in the field. He has won a pair of Division I state track titles and coached numerous individual state champions. The teenage standout says that from Rarey, "I've learned more about life and how to be positive. He's old school - mental preparation. That's why I'm always consistent with runs and vaults."
Rarey recalled that during his freshman year, Blankenship "improved drastically and quickly. Over the years, he stands out as one of the best athletes we've ever had. He could have excelled in the hurdles as well as the pole vault. He's an outstanding young man in everything he does - one of a kind."
At the end of his freshman year, Blankenship had cleared an even 14 feet, just missing a state berth by 2 inches. Perhaps, even more impressive - he finally beat his grandfather.
In his sophomore year, he jumped a best of 16 feet, placing fourth in the Division I state meet. As a junior he vaulted 17 feet, 3/4 inches to win the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., after clearing an even 17 feet to win his first state title. Later last summer he reached 16-6 3/4 to place third in the IAAF World Youth Championships.
Since he missed the national indoor record of 17-9 1/2, Blankenship's next goal is the national outdoor record of 18-3 set by Tommy Skipper of Sandy (Ore.) in 2003. If he can top 18-4, he will be at the qualifying height for this year's Olympic Trials. The world record is 20-1 1/4.
Blankenship has good speed, strong forearms and a unique plant as he prepares to catapult himself over the bar. He also has some remarkable poles. They are specially made due to an individual's strength and speed.
"Spirit (the maker) never has shipped two poles at this weight," Rob Banhagel revealed. "These are the stiffest poles they ever have sent to a high school athlete. They usually go to college athletes."
Going outside the family, MaxPreps talked to national vaulting expert Greg Duplantis of Lafayette, La.
He said Blankenship "has a bright future. I saw him at Reno this year and he's really an impressive guy. He has a unique technique and is able to put pressure on the pole. I know he can jump over 18 feet. He's the best I've seen this year and one of the best I've ever seen in high school. I could see him breaking the national high school record."
With 60 years of coaching experience, Rarey observed, "His future is unmeasurable. I think he can go 18 feet this year at the high school level. He has the mental and work-load ability to approach (the world record some day)."
The trio of grandfather, son and grandson vaulting together in practice and meets is unique, indeed. They ought to be in Ripley's Believe It or Not! ... maybe they will some day.
