For Dean Starkey, owner of Arizona Pole Vault Academy, it is clear that his passion for the sport is rivaled only by his commitment to young athletes and his team of coaches. Dean left a corporate job to devote himself to training a new generation of pole vaulters and build a world class facility in which to train them. Dean himself broke records at the NCAA, attended three World Championships, winning bronze in 1997, and spent 10 years touring and competing in the sport.
Pole Vaulting is a track and field event and a fairly niche sport. Dean himself began in football and only looked into pole vaulting as a means to train and stay in shape. The other coaches have similar stories, discovering the sport by chance, and then falling in love with it. Nathan Hiett has been coaching since 2018 and says the sport never felt like work, just fun. Unlike some other sports where there might be a lot of waiting around and repetitive routine, Nathan says the practices are 'free-flowing, engaging, and entertaining.'
Garrett Starkey who helps to run the academy with his father, Dean, says the sport is 'a little puzzle on how to get someone to maximize their potential.' This seems to be the running theme with all the coaches here, the genuine desire to cultivate great athletes. Tray Oates has been a coach with the academy since 2019 and says that training young athletes actually helps him to better understand the mechanics of the sport and learning even as he was teaching. 'Being a good coach is like speaking many different languages.' says Tray, who discovered that with each athlete came a personality and a unique style that required a different approach to motivate and inspire them forward.
The Arizona Pole Vault Academy not only has the facility to train on, but also has an impressive weight training room, an array of poles to work with, and the community needed to boost each athlete to new heights. Dean likes to keep the classes a manageable size so that each youth gets enough one on one time. He runs about 5 camps a year with 2 just in the summer. The 3 day summer camp we observed had about 30 kids in attendance. The atmosphere is relaxed and yet all the athletes appeared eager to get going even in the heat of Arizona.
Dean began the academy in 2008 and says the small town feel of Queen Creek compliments his academy well. The reputation of the academy has grown and is what has drawn many of his students, many of them returning and some of them even come from out of state. They run training sessions from 1 to 3 times a week for the 70 active kids who are mostly local. However, Dean emphasizes that the real 'rockstars' of the academy are his coaches Nathan, Garrett, and Tray. Their commitment to their students is clear, and while they train them in strength, speed, and coordination, they also recognize the sport teaches them patience and a positive attitude. The spirit of the place is apparent and despite his humility, Dean has played a central role in this, as each of the coaches cited Dean as an inspiration.
www.arizonapolevaultacademy.com