Council Rock South’s Nolan Gaudet a Renaissance man on the track (GALLERY)
HATBORO – In the world of track and field, the decathlon performer can be viewed as a real Renaissance man. He stands out as that all around competitor who revels in his ability to master many a complicated event.
Junior Nolan Gaudet, of the Council Rock South track team, is just such a talented athlete, one whose future aspirations seem widespread. “For college, I’m trying to go multi-events or decathlon. I think that would be a lot of fun. Now, I really do every event so I might as well do that in college. You don’t have to be great at one thing but you can be good at everything. That’s me. Basically, I’m a jack of all trades.”
Nolan’s very entry into track and field reflects his athletic adaptability. “Literally, sports were my thing. I started track my freshman year. I got concussed and couldn’t do wrestling. Wrestling was my life. I wrestled for 13 years. Some of my friends said I should come try this because I ran track in middle school.”
During the recent Jim Kelly Invitational at Hatboro-Horsham, Nolan put his versatility on display. He took fifth place in the javelin with a heave of 141 feet, three inches, placed fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 12-6, and helped the Golden Hawks’ 4X100 relay team to a third place time of 44.39.
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Javelin proved a natural entry event for Nolan. “I grew up playing baseball. I was a catcher, third baseman and centerfielder so I was always throwing the ball pretty far. When I saw javelin, I thought that was one more thing I could throw. The coach saw me throw and was impressed.’
Nolan soon discovered he could carry over his baseball skills to his new sport. “Everyone says javelin is more about form. I am a pretty small dude and I’m competing with some big guys. So for me, it’s more about technique than power. You need a balance. In baseball, when you’re in centerfield and throw, you do a crow hop and launch it. The same is true in javelin.”
Nolan’s ability to chuck a long metal spear presented his coaches with another possibility. He could do the pole vault. “The coach saw me throw the first time and saw I had some upper body strength and said I should give pole vault a try. I was crazy enough to do it and that is how that turned out.”
The challenge of this truly unique event intrigued Nolan. “You have to be pretty acrobatic. It’s more of a thrill. You go 10 to 15 feet in the air and then come down after going over a bar. For me, it’s the thrill of being up there and having fun doing it.”
To maximize the thrill, the vaulter first needs to conquer any hesitations. Nolan got the necessary confidence boost from his coaches and fellow competitors. “I started vaulting as a sophomore and there were three senior vaulters on the team. They and coach (Len) Spearing told me that whatever you do, have confidence. Never have a doubt in your mind. They showed me what to do and one day, it clicked.”
Nolan learned that success in vaulting comes with mastering the requisite skills. “You definitely need speed to get momentum to push the pole. The more speed you have technically gives you more opportunity to do a good vault.”
Having sped down the runway, the vaulter then needs to plant and power his body upward. “The takeoff is more about timing. You have to drop your pole gradually over time. I still don’t do it. I drop at the last second.”
Once airborne, the vaulter needs to know how to contort their body over the bar and then prepare for landing. “You have to ride the pole. You can’t turn too soon or your pole will straighten out right away. Just when the pole gets at 90 degrees, you need to start to turn and twist to get off. Then try not to hit the bar on the way down.”
All aspects of this potentially dangerous event demand utmost attention. Nolan has already developed a sound athletic psyche. “I try to clear my mind. There are many distractions. We have guns going off, people running around, and long jumpers performing right next to us.”
Nolan has the extra burden of getting refocused for his next event. “During the pole vault yesterday (April 16) I knew the javelin was coming up and the pole vault started late so I started getting that in the back of my mind and I got a little nervous.”
At such times, Nolan has to rely on instinct and muscle memory. “I trust what my coaches say that what we do at practice, we do at the meet. I just get to the event and do it.”
The last event for Nolan at the Kelly Invitational was the 4X100 relay. Here, he teamed with Shane Carter, Trenu Johnson and Seth Steinberg to finish third out of 14 teams. “That was our first time running together. That is probably the one we will take to the Penn Relays. We’re pretty fast there.”
One event Nolan did not attempt at the Kelly Invitational was the 300 hurdles. “I do that during our home meets because I’m the fastest hurdler South has. I’m there to break up the other team’s one and three finisher so I jump in for second place points.”
Whether running, jumping or throwing, Nolan has certainly proved he can fill in anywhere the coach needs him. He is a true Renaissance athlete.
