Posted 3/11/08
UW-Platteville's Scott Howard became the first Pioneer since 1991 to win the conference indoor pole vault championship when he cleared 15-11 on Feb. 29. Howard is a junior from Princeton, Ill.
Can you describe how the WIAC championship weekend went for you?
"It was kind of crazy because I'd been having hamstring problems the past four weeks, and I hadn't done any full approaches. Going into the meet, I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to jump. Jumping as well as I did was kind of a surprise. I knew I could jump that height; I've always felt I could. It was just a matter of doing it at the right time."
With your bad hamstrings, did you have doubt that you would even clear the opening height (14-6)?
"There weren't doubts I could clear the height, but more whether I could run and jump effectively without hurting myself again. I did a lot of rehab, stretched, heated and really warmed up."
When did you know that you had everything working well?
"My legs were fresh because I hadn't done much because of my hamstrings. My approaches were really fast, and I was able to bump up to a bigger pole which gave me more spring. When I got on that, I felt really solid and had a chance to do really good things."
What did it feel like when you realized you would have the best jump?
"It was between me and Mark Cufaude from Stevens Point. He was still in there, too, and is capable of jumping well. He made the same height and as I did, but he had more misses. I knew the conference was more wide open than it had been in the past, because in the past the La Crosse jumpers were going 17 and a half. It was anyone's ballgame, and whoever jumped well would have a good shot and winning the conference."
What is your ultimate goal?
"I don't really set goals because that makes me feel like there is a stopping point. I guess I always strive to be my best at something. I don't know if that's a realistic goal, but then I always have something to shoot for. If I obtain something (a particular height) I said is my goal, then I feel like I would have accomplished it and feel like I can stop."
How long have you been pole vaulting, and what brought you into the sport?
"This is my sixth year. My dad and his family were all stud athletes and were all good discus throwers and shot put throwers, and that is what I did in junior high. I stopped growing and reached this size, 5-7, in eighth grade. I didn't have the size to keep doing that. I threw a little bit in high school, but not nearly as well as if I would have been bigger. I wasn't the fastest kid nor the strongest kid, so I wanted to try something not a lot of people did. I started my freshman year, and I didn't have the greatest year, but they thought I had potential so I stuck with it. Football was my main sport in high school, and it's still my favorite to this day, but I didn't have the size for that either. That's how I became a pole vaulter."
What brought you to UW-Platteville?
"I visited 16 schools. I looked around, and it was a combination of academics and athletics. Both played a vital role. I'm a biology major and met with my advisor in the biology department, Marilyn Tufte, and I really enjoyed talking to her and liked talking to the coaches. I thought they have good programs going on here. It was a good match."
Interview by Sports Information Director Paul Erickson