By Steve Holt, Opinion Editor
Married couples going to college have stressful lives.
Add a child to the mix, and things get interesting.
Meet the Aguilars, who not only have a full load of classes and a 2-year-old boy, but also are the top husband-wife pole vaulting tandem in the nation. Angie Aguilar, a sophomore from Midland, has the second-best vault in Division II track and field this season, while her husband, Cory, a junior from Crane, has the third-best vault. They have a legitimate shot at winning dual national pole vault titles, a feat few, if any, couples can claim.
Don Hood, who has coached the pole vaulters at ACU for 26 years, said he hasn’t seen a couple like the Aguilars.
“I’ve never seen two people more dedicated to anything as they are,” he said. “I think it is tremendous that they both have the same burning desire to excel and be outstanding.”
Aside from track and field, the Aguilars excel in academics and prioritize family life, and hectic 19-hour days have become normal for this family.
“It’s really difficult, because there are times when you have a lot of homework to do, but at the same time, how do you get sleep before practice tomorrow?” Cory said.
Their son, Kylor, often stays at their neighbor’s apartment for chunks of the day while his parents are at class or practice. Cory affirms, however, that the two would never let academics or athletics come between them and their young son.
“But at the same time,” Angie said, “we both try to make a 4.0.”
The Aguilars fell off of that lofty goal early on in college, but they still maintain B+ averages as they work toward exercise science degrees.
“You’ve got to give and take, and we just try to do our best to work together,” said Cory.
Angie’s first vault
Cory and Angie met and fell in love because of pole vaulting.
Their worlds collided when the two were competing in the Texas state meet when they were 16 years old, Cory for Crane High School and Angie for Midland Christian High School. Texas had not yet introduced pole vaulting into girl’s track and field, so Angie’s father convinced the state’s track and field officials to let his daughter advance to the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics to compete in the event.
The officials agreed.
“I’d never touched a pole,” Angie said. “I’d always watched it and wanted to, but I never had any experience.”
Angie had a week between the state meet and the Junior Olympics to learn how to pole vault. She remembered meeting a boy from Crane who had been vaulting successfully since the seventh grade, so she decided to approach him with a proposition.
“Can you teach me how to pole vault in a week?” Angie asked the slight, but muscular Cory.
Cory agreed, and the two spent about 10 hours a day together the next week working on Angie’s new event.
“All I could do was teach her the very basics,” Cory said. “I pretty much told her how to approach, how to carry the pole, and how to plant it in the box. It wasn’t pretty.”
“No form, no technique,” Angie remembered, laughing.
The high school junior surprisingly placed in the middle of a field of about 45 girls at the Junior Olympics, clearing a modest 8 feet, 6 inches. She was about to win the heart of her future husband, however.
Midland Christian didn’t have a pole vault coach, so Angie traveled to nearby Crane every afternoon to practice vaulting with Cory and the boys.
“We started talking, then dating…,” Cory said.
“…and spending a lot of time together!” Angie said.
Vaulting to the next level
Cory completed high school with a track and field r‚sum‚ a mile long. He qualified for the Texas state meet three times in three events: the pole vault, 300-meter hurdles, and the 4×400-meter relay. By clearing 16-1 in the pole vault his senior year, Cory became the third best prep vaulter in the nation.
Angie competed in volleyball and track and field in high school. Like Cory, she excelled in events other than pole vaulting–the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, and the long jump.
Both Cory and Angie could compete on the next level.
Cory chose to attend ACU to compete in track and field after receiving offers from other notable universities. For Cory, the decision was easy.
“Texas Tech wanted me to be a decathlete,” he said. “I didn’t want to do any running.”
Angie spent a semester at South Plains College in Levelland developing as an athlete, before marrying Cory and transferring to ACU.
Cory, freshman year, cleared a season-best height of 16-7 3/4 in 2003 on his way to a fourth-place finish at the outdoor national meet. He also ended up doing a little running in 2003, helping the men’s 4×400-meter relay team to a sixth-place finish at the indoor national meet.
As a sophomore, Cory finished eighth and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault at the indoor and outdoor meets. Redshirt freshman Angie earned her spot on the women’s team just months after having Kylor.
This season, however, both vaulters have truly come into their element. Angie cleared a personal best height of 12-8 _ at last weekend’s Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., while Cory set a personal best indoors at the Arkansas meet.
Angie has seen the most staggering improvement since high school, however, improving her best prep height by nearly two feet.
“The last year and a half has been learning correctly, doing things the right way, with my speed, flexibility,” Angie said. “I still have a lot of room for improvement as far as technique. It’s finally all coming together.”
Head coach Jon Murray has noticed the transformation in Angie as well.
“Angie has really developed as a pole vaulter,” Murray said. “She wasn’t as established coming out of high school because they didn’t have [pole vaulting], but she’s really developed as she’s been here.”
Murray attributes her recent success to athleticism and Hood, a coaching legend in the event.
“She’s just a good athlete,” Murray said. “And Coach Hood does a great job with our vaulters. It’s easy to be successful around him.”
This season, with both Cory and Angie vaulting their best, the couple can almost taste dual men’s and women’s pole vault titles. More than indoor titles, however, they would like to win dual titles at the Division II Outdoor National Championships, which will take place at ACU’s Elmer Gray Stadium in May.
“It’s not far-fetched,” Angie said. “With myself and the other girls [seniors Val Gorter and Katie Eckley] – there’s no reason why we couldn’t go top three. Of course I want it to be me.”
‘You have to have a respect’
Pole vaulting is as technical an event as one will see in athletics.
The vaulter reaches his or her top sprinting speed gripping a pole over twice the length of their body, before planting one end in a metal box and taking off. The pole nearly forms a “U” under the weight of the vaulter, who approaches his or her summit upside-down and perfectly perpendicular to the hard ground. The vaulter then must play a freakish game of Limbo 12 to 18 feet in the air, attempting to slip over a wobbly bar without upsetting it, before free-falling onto a mat below.
Those who see the danger in such a sport are seeing quite clearly. A handful of vaulters have paid the ultimate price for the sport, crashing to the runway or into the metal pit because of a snapped pole or simple gravity.
This makes the Aguilars’ hobby even more impressive, more risky.
“It’s always a fear, always,” Cory said. “To jump higher, you have to get on bigger poles or improve your technique. If your technique is pretty good, you have to get on bigger poles. That fear is always in the back of your mind when you get on bigger poles.”
The risk could be likened to driving a car, they said – the risk of an accident is real, but drivers generally don’t feel fear when getting in the driver’s seat.
“It’s almost like a sub-conscious fear,” Angie said. “When I go out there, I’m not feeling fear. It never crosses my mind about the deaths or falling.”
Cory said quality technique and training helps vaulters overcome the risks associated with the sport.
“The better you get, the more you learn, the stronger you get, the faster you get, the less fearful you are,” he said.
“You have to have a respect,” Angie said.
Hood said that Angie’s continued improvement in vaulting will be closely tied to her overcoming certain fears of the event.
“I expect Angie to have the biggest jump,” Hood said. “All vaulters have certain tendencies – hers are largely related to self-preservation. How long it takes to overcome those things is closely tied to how much it means to them.”
On going pro
The Aguilars believe they can only keep improving their vaults. Both say they think they can and will compete professionally after college.
“I want to keep jumping, I really do,” Cory said. “[Angie]’s fast, she’s strong, she can jump – she has all the characteristics to be a professional jumper. Once she puts it all together, she’ll be there.”
They both say, however, that if they aren’t at a certain level of competition upon graduating, they will gladly forego the dreams of becoming elite athletes. For Cory, the goal he has is to clear 18 feet. For Angie, 14 feet.
“If you’re a guy, until you’ve jumped 18 feet, you’re not in the elite class,” said Hood, who has coached two Olympic pole vaulters and a total of seven Olympic Trials qualifiers. “For girls, 13 feet is not elite. Once you’re jumping 14 feet, though, you’re in the elite class.”
Cory is hoping to get a graduate assistantship wherever he attends after graduating from ACU so he can put in more quality training than he is now.
Going pro is not always a smooth transition, however.
“Going after college is an even more difficult step,” Murray “They definitely have abilities, so they just have to keep developing, keep working, and keep getting stronger, and see where their next step leads them.”
The Balancing Act
For now, however, finishing school and raising a son is a main priority for the Aguilars, who often make great sacrifices for each other, Kylor, and their classes.
Angie is often up until 1 a.m. writing papers or reading books, only to wake four hours later to lift weights. Their schedules are sporadic, hurried, and without a doubt, packed.
“We’re always on the run, so we don’t have time to cook good, nutritious meals,” Cory said. “We don’t have time to eat like we should.”
Sleep is hard to come by these days, also.
“I get five or six hours, maybe,” Cory said.
The couple has been assisted, however, by nearby parents and relatives who are more than happy to keep Kylor on weekends when both Aguilars are competing out of town.
Angie said the atmosphere at ACU has made it possible to be a mother and track and field star; the other athletes and coaches are more than accommodating to the “pole vault parents.”
Murray said he admires their attitudes toward the different aspects of their lives, attributing much of it to maturity.
“They’re very mature, to say the least,” Murray said. “They do a good job of juggling a lot of balls and making sure none of them drops. They’re real serious students, they’re real serious athletes, and they’re real serious about making sure their family works.”
Hood agreed.
“They’ve got their priorities in order,” he said. “It’s really nice they can live together, play together, and study together.”
Cory and Angie Aguilar have always raised the bar in every aspect of their lives. From marriage, to raising a baby, to excelling in academics, the Aguilars have so far successfully cleared every barrier they have approached. If they win dual national championships in March or May, the couple will leave few doubts as to their ability to accomplish anything for which they work.
“I think their next step is to be the best in Division II,” Murray said. “We’ve got some really good vaulters in our league, so to do that they’ll have to be really good.”
For Cory, winning a national title will mean defeating a vaulter from Lewis College who already has cleared 18 feet this season.
Could the junior improve his personal best by a foot in just a few months?
“I guess I’ll have to,” he said with confidence. “You gotta have somebody to push you, right?”
“No form, no technique,” Angie remembered, laughing.
The high school junior surprisingly placed in the middle of a field of about 45 girls at the Junior Olympics, clearing a modest 8 feet, 6 inches. She was about to win the heart of her future husband, however.
Midland Christian didn’t have a pole vault coach, so Angie traveled to nearby Crane every afternoon to practice vaulting with Cory and the boys.
“We started talking, then dating…,” Cory said.
“…and spending a lot of time together!” Angie said.
Vaulting to the next level
Cory completed high school with a track and field r‚sum‚ a mile long. He qualified for the Texas state meet three times in three events: the pole vault, 300-meter hurdles, and the 4×400-meter relay. By clearing 16-1 in the pole vault his senior year, Cory became the third best prep vaulter in the nation.
Angie competed in volleyball and track and field in high school. Like Cory, she excelled in events other than pole vaulting–the 100-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, and the long jump.
Both Cory and Angie could compete on the next level.
Cory chose to attend ACU to compete in track and field after receiving offers from other notable universities. For Cory, the decision was easy.
“Texas Tech wanted me to be a decathlete,” he said. “I didn’t want to do any running.”
Angie spent a semester at South Plains College in Levelland developing as an athlete, before marrying Cory and transferring to ACU.
Cory, freshman year, cleared a season-best height of 16-7 3/4 in 2003 on his way to a fourth-place finish at the outdoor national meet. He also ended up doing a little running in 2003, helping the men’s 4×400-meter relay team to a sixth-place finish at the indoor national meet.
As a sophomore, Cory finished eighth and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault at the indoor and outdoor meets. Redshirt freshman Angie earned her spot on the women’s team just months after having Kylor.
This season, however, both vaulters have truly come into their element. Angie cleared a personal best height of 12-8 _ at last weekend’s Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., while Cory set a personal best indoors at the Arkansas meet.
Angie has seen the most staggering improvement since high school, however, improving her best prep height by nearly two feet.
“The last year and a half has been learning correctly, doing things the right way, with my speed, flexibility,” Angie said. “I still have a lot of room for improvement as far as technique. It’s finally all coming together.”
Head coach Jon Murray has noticed the transformation in Angie as well.
“Angie has really developed as a pole vaulter,” Murray said. “She wasn’t as established coming out of high school because they didn’t have [pole vaulting], but she’s really developed as she’s been here.”
Murray attributes her recent success to athleticism and Hood, a coaching legend in the event.
“She’s just a good athlete,” Murray said. “And Coach Hood does a great job with our vaulters. It’s easy to be successful around him.”
This season, with both Cory and Angie vaulting their best, the couple can almost taste dual men’s and women’s pole vault titles. More than indoor titles, however, they would like to win dual titles at the Division II Outdoor National Champion-ships, which will take place at ACU’s Elmer Gray Stadium in May.
“It’s not far-fetched,” Angie said. “With myself and the other girls [seniors Val Gorter and Katie Eckley] – there’s no reason why we couldn’t go top three. Of course I want it to be me.”
‘You have to have a respect’
Pole vaulting is as technical an event as one will see in athletics.
The vaulter reaches his or her top sprinting speed gripping a pole over twice the length of their body, before planting one end in a metal box and taking off. The pole nearly forms a “U” under the weight of the vaulter, who approaches his or her summit upside-down and perfectly perpendicular to the hard ground. The vaulter then must play a freakish game of Limbo 12 to 18 feet in the air, attempting to slip over a wobbly bar without upsetting it, before free-falling onto a mat below.
Those who see the danger in such a sport are seeing quite clearly. A handful of vaulters have paid the ultimate price for the sport, crashing to the runway or into the metal pit because of a snapped pole or simple gravity.
This makes the Aguilars’ hobby even more impressive, more risky.
“It’s always a fear, always,” Cory said. “To jump higher, you have to get on bigger poles or improve your technique. If your technique is pretty good, you have to get on bigger poles. That fear is always in the back of your mind when you get on bigger poles.”
The risk could be likened to driving a car, they said – the risk of an accident is real, but drivers generally don’t feel fear when getting in the driver’s seat.
“It’s almost like a sub-conscious fear,” Angie said. “When I go out there, I’m not feeling fear. It never crosses my mind about the deaths or falling.”
Cory said quality technique and training helps vaulters overcome the risks associated with the sport.
“The better you get, the more you learn, the stronger you get, the faster you get, the less fearful you are,” he said.
“You have to have a respect,” Angie said.
Hood said that Angie’s continued improvement in vaulting will be closely tied to her overcoming certain fears of the event.
“I expect Angie to have the biggest jump,” Hood said. “All vaulters have certain tendencies – hers are largely related to self-preservation. How long it takes to overcome those things is closely tied to how much it means to them.”
On going pro
The Aguilars believe they can only keep improving their vaults. Both say they think they can and will compete professionally after college.
“I want to keep jumping, I really do,” Cory said. “[Angie]’s fast, she’s strong, she can jump – she has all the characteristics to be a professional jumper. Once she puts it all together, she’ll be there.”
They both say, however, that if they aren’t at a certain level of competition upon graduating, they will gladly forego the dreams of becoming elite athletes. For Cory, the goal he has is to clear 18 feet. For Angie, 14 feet.
“If you’re a guy, until you’ve jumped 18 feet, you’re not in the elite class,” said Hood, who has coached two Olympic pole vaulters and a total of seven Olympic Trials qualifiers. “For girls, 13 feet is not elite. Once you’re jumping 14 feet, though, you’re in the elite class.”
Cory is hoping to get a graduate assistantship wherever he attends after graduating from ACU so he can put in more quality training than he is now.
Going pro is not always a smooth transition, however.
“Going after college is an even more difficult step,” Murray “They definitely have abilities, so they just have to keep developing, keep working, and keep getting stronger, and see where their next step leads them.”
The balancing act
For now, however, finishing school and raising a son is a main priority for the Aguilars, who often make great sacrifices for each other, Kylor, and their classes.
Angie is often up until 1 a.m. writing papers or reading books, only to wake four hours later to lift weights. Their schedules are sporadic, hurried, and without a doubt, packed.
“We’re always on the run, so we don’t have time to cook good, nutritious meals,” Cory said. “We don’t have time to eat like we should.”
Sleep is hard to come by these days, also.
“I get five or six hours, maybe,” Cory said.
The couple has been assisted, however, by nearby parents and relatives who are more than happy to keep Kylor on weekends when both Aguilars are competing out of town.
Angie said the atmosphere at ACU has made it possible to be a mother and track and field star; the other athletes and coaches are more than accommodating to the “pole vault parents.”
Murray said he admires their attitudes toward the different aspects of their lives, attributing much of it to maturity.
“They’re very mature, to say the least,” Murray said. “They do a good job of juggling a lot of balls and making sure none of them drops. They’re real serious students, they’re real serious athletes, and they’re real serious about making sure their family works.”
Hood agreed.
“They’ve got their priorities in order,” he said. “It’s really nice they can live together, play together, and study together.”
Cory and Angie Aguilar have always raised the bar in every aspect of their lives. From marriage, to raising a baby, to excelling in academics, the Aguilars have so far successfully cleared every barrier they have approached. If they win dual national championships in March or May, the couple will leave few doubts as to their ability to accomplish anything for which they work.
“I think their next step is to be the best in Division II,” Murray said. “We’ve got some really good vaulters in our league, so to do that they’ll have to be really good.”
For Cory, winning a national title will mean defeating a vaulter from Lewis College who already has cleared 18 feet this season. Could the junior improve his personal best by a foot in just a few months?
“I guess I’ll have to,” he said with confidence. “You gotta have somebody to push you, right?”
