DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997                TAG: 9704140058

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   52 lines

NORTHEASTERN POLE VAULTER LEAPS INTO ELITE FIELD

Pole vaulting is one of the hardest things to do in sports. The vaulter must have the right combination of speed, steps, bend on the pole and twisting technique to clear the bar.

This season, Northeastern High School senior Mike Taft has made pole vaulting look easy. In the recent Tri-County Invitational in Ahoskie, Taft vaulted 14 feet 3 inches, which qualified him for the Eastern Regional and put him among the state's elite.

Taft's previous personal best was 13-6, but Northeastern head coach Mike Clemens isn't surprised by Taft's sudden rise.

``He's been working toward it and we knew he would do 14 feet. He's done it in practice,'' Clemens said. ``He just missed 14-6. He ticked it with his shirt.''

Taft, last year's Big East Conference and regional pole vault champion, is a three-sport varsity athlete who says once he got used to vaulting, the fun began.

``It gives me such a rush being up in the air like that,'' Taft said. ``It's really hard to describe.''

Taft began pole vaulting in ninth grade when Clemens asked for volunteers for the event. ``I raised my hand and I've been stuck on it ever since,'' he said.

Since the beginning of his junior year, Taft has worked monthly with Eric Morrell, a pole vaulting coach at UNC-Chapel Hill. ``I'll call him up and he meets me at the indoor vault there,'' Taft said. ``He taught me how to get as high as I am now.''

Taft also has been working on his upper body strength - an important part of pole vaulting. The more you bend the pole, the higher you jump. All pole vaulters want to graduate to a larger pole, and the key is strength.

``I've been taking a weight class during the last period at school,'' Taft said. ``I work on my upper body and lower body every other day. I can tell how my strength has increased. When I started out I was benching 185. Now I'm up to 245.''

Such ambition prompts Clemens to praise Taft.

``I'll tell you, this kid makes it easy to coach. He's the typical blue-collar worker. He brings his lunchbox to work, gets the job done, and that's it. He works hard and helps anybody that wants help.''

Taft is also a runner. His time in the 400 meters is 51.63 seconds, sixth-best in 4A competition. He also runs a leg of the 3,200-meter relay for the Eagles.

But pole vaulting is his speciality. Is 15 feet in Taft's future?

``We knew he was going to jump 14 feet. I suspect he'll do well over 15 by the end of the year,'' Clemens said.

``If I get on a good pole and get a good bend, I could get 15 feet. There's no doubt in my mind,'' Taft said.

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