By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Jason Dean is passionate about pole vaulting. A self-described athlete who was a “late bloomer,” he said he played nearly every sport trying to find the one that was just right for him. He discovered pole vaulting in high school and went on to become a state champion his senior year and then the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion his sophomore year of college when he competed for Florida State University. After graduation, he “forgot” about pole vaulting for a while as he began his career, got married and started a family. In 2016 he again felt himself drawn to the sport and now he serves as a pole vault coach at Bartram Trail High School as well as at his own coaching company, the Florida Pole Vault Factory in NW St. Johns County. He lives in Switzerland with his wife, Andrea, and two children.
Q: How were you first introduced to pole vaulting?
A: When I was in high school, I wasn’t good enough to make the baseball team or the basketball team, but I still wanted to do something athletic. My social studies teacher, who was the cross country coach, encouraged me to go out for cross country … but I didn’t like distance running. I wasn’t fast enough to sprint and I didn’t want to do the shot put or long jump. Finally she said, “Why not try pole vaulting?” And it turned out I was good at it! I even participated in summer meets because I just loved it. I really found my niche.
Q: How did you meet your wife?
A: We met when I was at FSU. She was an athletic trainer and I met her in the training room my sophomore year. We’ve been together ever since and were married in 2003.
Q: What made you go back to pole vaulting?
A: I graduated from FSU with a degree in Information Studies and started my career as a software engineer. Andrea and I bought a house and we had our kids. By 2016, I started getting the itch. I felt like I wanted to be around athletes, who are generally positive people and like to work out. I reached out to the track and field coach at Bartram Trail High School and offered my services as a volunteer pole vault coach. I was mortified at what I saw … kids looked like they were doing dangerous things and I didn’t want kids to get hurt doing a sport that I loved.
Q: What prompted you to open the Florida Pole Vault Factory?
A: In 2019 I started Florida Pole Vault Factory so that I could coach kids from all over and keep them safe. No sport is without risk, but there is an element of risk in pole vaulting that not all sports have. Plus there is a lack of coaches in our sport that know what to do to keep kids safe.
Q: What are your goals for your coaching business?
A: At first, my goals were performance based and I have coached middle school and high school champions. But now I am more interested in growing the sport and raising awareness of pole vaulting, of course in addition to keeping kids safe. Pole vaulting looks scary, but I focus on safety and so it is more fun than scary.
Q: What is your favorite part of coaching?
A: I think it’s imparting wisdom of pole vaulting and non-pole vaulting on kids. If you can project wisdom on kids and make their life better in any way, then it’s a good day. It’s satisfying to get a champion for sure, but seeing kids succeed and get joy from a sport I love … well, that’s the best.
Photo courtesy Jason Dean
Jason Dean and family.
