Pole vaulter, Mark Hollis, tells us his story on why he started up vaulting and his love for the sport..
Mark Hollis, professional pole vaulter, this is my story of chasing a dream Every walk into an airport with your poles and get stopped by 12 different people.
Freeport’s Hollis fails to make pole vault finals at Olympic Trials
Mark Hollis’ 2008 Olympic pole vault dreams died Friday night when he cleared the first height but missed three times at the second in the U.S.
Track and Field Olympic Trials.
Hollis, a 2003 Freeport graduate, cleared 17 feet, 8 inches but missed all three tries at 18 feet. Fourteen of the 27 qualifiers cleared that height to reach Sunday’s finals. The top three, plus one alternate, will make the U.S.
Olympic team that will go to Beijing, this summer.
Hollis won the 2006 and 2007 NAIA national championships as a student at Olivet Nazarene. He emerged as an Olympic contender almost overnight last month when he first topped 18 feet.
Hollis set a personal record in three consecutive April meets, vaulting 18-1 at Wheaton College, 18-8 ¾ at the Drake Relays and 18-10 ¼ in Champaign at the Illini Twilight Track and Field meet.
“He looked really good when he cleared his first height,” John Hollis, Mark’s father, sai