Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Liam Garrison '20 doesn't really know why he decided to give the pole vault a try when he was a seventh grader on the track team at the Academy.
What we do know is, four years later, Liam is the best pole vaulter in school history.
Liam cleared 10 feet, 7 inches, setting the school record in a home meet May 5 against Suffield Academy and Bancroft School.
"It felt amazing and it set the mood for the whole day because I went right from there and qualified for the New England meet in javelin for the first time," Liam said. "It was an amazing experience. It was my last jump so I was nervous. I hurt my knee (earlier in the meet but) powered through. As soon as I cleared the bar I knew it was a great jump."
It was great, in fact the best ever at WMA. Liam tied the school record of 10-6, set by Tucker Schmitt '06 in 2004 and matched by Nick Curran '07 in 2007, April 28 in a home meet. At that meet, Liam attempted to break the school mark but couldn't get over 11 feet.
However, on May 5, since he was the only vaulter remaining after clearing 10-6, he could move the bar by any increment he wanted. Liam pushed the bar up one inch and cleared it on his final attempt.
"I am so impressed with Liam's school record this year," Coach Tom Iannacone explained. "He has made all the small adjustments from last year to this year and it has shown. What's even more impressive is that he is so young. He has two more years to make an impact on the team and to raise the bar for future pole vaulters.
"Liam has been a quiet force on the team. He has been persistent and patient throughout this season. He had to wait almost a month to begin practicing pole vault since the weather prohibited us from taking the poles out."
Entering the season, Liam's best jump was 9-6. He hopes to clear 11 feet for the 2018 season, which includes a meet May 12 at Berkshire School and the New England Championship May 19.