Ethan de Leon's

Student / Athlete who began competing in CYO track in grade school, but did not find my sport until my freshman year in high school. My brother's good friend was a vaulter and suggested that I give Pole Vaulting a try. With his tutelage, I immediately started having success and again he gave me another valuable suggestion... join Doug Lytle's Xtreme Athletics, a local Pole Vaulting club team that provided year round instruction & training.

XA is not just any club team. The owner, Doug Lytle, was the '82 & '85 National Champion and represented the USA in the 1984 Olympics as a Pole Vaulter!!! The head trainer, J.J. Lawler, was a standout high school and college vaulter, who lives and breathes Pole Vault and has coached some of the best pole vaulters in the Kansas City area. The strength coach is Boris Urman, who served as the head coach for the Olympic Weightlifting Team in the former Soviet Union for 14 years. Due to their instructions, I've improved from 10' my freshman year, to 12' my sophomore year, to over 14' my junior year. I'm hoping to reach 16' + this year, my senior year. Recently, Coach Rick Attig, who has been the vaulting coach at University of Kansas and University of Nebraska, has partnered with Xtreme Athletics. He is one of the top vaulting coaches in the country.

I'm looking forward to a great senior year and an opportunity to jump in college.