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Burley doesn't meet own standard, places third
Class 5A State Track & Field
spt mm Chris Burley pole vault
Great Bend High School's Chris Burley clears the bar at 14 feet during the Class 5A pole-vault finals on Friday at Cessna Stadium on the Wichita State University campus in Wichita. - photo by Mack McClure Great Bend Tribune

WICHITA — Coming off a school-record 15-foot-6 jump in a regional at Salina last week, the conditions seemed right for Chris Burley on a partly cloudy Friday afternoon at Cessna Stadium, where the vaulters had a slight breeze at their backs.

Trouble was, Burley was going up against the state's premier pole vaulter — defending champion Nick Meyer of Bishop Carroll, who soared over the rest of the Class 5A field once again for another crown after clearing 16 feet.

Tim Perkins of Lenexa-St. James Academy placed second at 15-6, and Burley wound up finishing in third place after missing all three of his attempts at 15-0. His ending height was 14-6.

"I have good days and bad days, I guess," said Burley, who made a goal of clearing 16 feet and beating Meyer. "My muscles started fatiguing a little bit and I started to get a little tired and started to think about it too much.

"Last year, I did the same thing. I choked at the state meet. I was jumping really good at regionals, and I come to state and I don't jump worth a crap."

How does someone choke and still place third — especially when one of his opponents is one of the top vaulters in the nation?

"A foot under what I wanted to jump, it's not good enough for me," Burley said.

Meyer and Burley chatted prior to the meet, and the extroverted Burley could be seen giving tips to other state vaulters, even while the competition was ongoing.

Of course, the same thing could be said about Meyer and the others.

"Pole vault is a little bit different," Burley said. "We're always pushing each other to get better heights.

"As individuals, we care who wins and whatnot, but we're more pushing each other to see who gets the best height. We're all friends out there pushing each other."

Junior Elijah Connor also qualified in the pole vault for Great Bend. He spent the remainder of the competition soaking everything in after making an early exit.

"It's such a great experience, just competing in the state meet," Connor said. "It makes me want to work hard and improve and get back here again next year."