Desert Vista pole vault coach, Jeff Guy, congratulates Shaylah Simpson after her state winning jump.
Desert Vista pole vault coach, Jeff Guy, was named the National High School Coach of the Year last weekend at the 21st annual National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, NV. In 2001 while coaching at Corona Del Sol in Tempe, Guy received the same award.
Guy has been coaching pole vault for 25 years, the last 6 at Desert Vista. During the 2010 Track and Field season, 5 girls from the pole vault team cleared 12' and 2 of them cleared 13' with Shaylah Simpson breaking the State Record 3 times (once indoors and twice outdoors). Simpson set the new Arizona State record at the Meet of Champions with a 13'4 jump. Heather Arseneau cleared 13'0 at Regionals.
Four girls cleared 12 feet on the same night.........at the Meet of Champions.
Click here for the full article on the girls pole vault team.
Last spring before graduating from Desert Vista, Merritt Ten Hope wrote this essay about pole vaulting and her coach, Jeff Guy:
"Adolescence is a time of discovery for youth. It is a period in life when one tries to figure out where they fit into society. Teenagers are confronted by a variety of messages by the media, advertising, popular culture, as well as peers and family. They must learn to make decisions based on these factors that will benefit not only themselves but also others. Throughout this process of “growing up” authoritative figures including parents, teachers, and coaches, act as mentors and models. They help guide young adults in the right direction, teaching values and standards that they hope will then be upheld throughout a lifetime. One of the most important influences in my life is my pole vault coach, Jeff Guy.
Coach Guy is a dedicated role model who sacrifices time with his family to help mold and develop his athletes into responsible and caring young adults. Not only does he help each of us on our team become faster, stronger, and jump higher, but he also relates everything we do to life in the real world. He helps us make connections between the dedication and commitment we have for the sport to what we do every day in and outside of school. He gives everyone an equal opportunity to succeed, and encourages us to grow to our maximum potential. He teaches us that failure is not something to be defeated by, but rather as something we can learn and grow from. He has influenced me to become a leader among the team.
Even though pole vault is an individual sport, Coach Guy has taught us to put aside our competitiveness and assist each other to get better. By helping our teammates excel, we put the team before ourselves and then we all become stronger for the effort. The camaraderie on our team is undeniable with everyone working together toward a common goal – excellence on the field and off.
Thanks to my outstanding coach, Jeff Guy, I will leave the track and field program at Desert Vista a stronger and more dedicated student-athlete, prepared to meet the challenges of college and life. I will go forward in the future with the attitude that I can succeed if I work at something I love, and that altruism is more important than winning."
Merritt Ten Hope