GREENFIELD — Before he got to his greatest day as a pole vaulter, Greenfield-Central’s Cody Hargett had to revert back to the time when he competed just for the love of flying in the air.
A senior this past season, Hargett vaulted his way to a fifth-place finish at the IHSAA Boys Track and Field State Finals last month and is the 2021 Daily Reporter Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
He cleared a school-record 15-feet, 3-inches at the final meet of the season, held at Ben Davis High School, Friday, June 4.
As a sophomore, he and teammate Adam Lee, who finished 10th in the state meet as a senior in 2019, were co-school record holders at 14-6. Hargett wrapped up the 2019 season by separating himself with a clearance of 14-7.
He flew over the bar at 14-8 in the opening meet of his senior season, but did not go any higher until the state finals.
Stuck at 14-8, Hargett spent much of his final high school season frustrated. He admitted, at times, he was his own worst enemy, discouraged by not being able to go any higher.
“There was a time at a practice late in the season,” G-C pole vault coach Greg Arnold recalled. “Cody would be running down the runway and not plant the pole, he’d run over the pit. Sometimes you do that if your steps are off or you’re too far away from the box, but he was doing it 90 percent of the time, not planting the pole.
“So, I asked him, ‘What is it you’re thinking about on the runway?’ He said he was thinking he’s only jumped an inch higher this year than he did two years ago.”
Arnold couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t seeing the same thing. He knew his prized pupil had gotten better, but for whatever reason it hadn’t yet translated into meets, height-wise. The success was there. Except for the state meet, he won every competition, including Hancock County, Hoosier Heritage Conference, sectional and regional championships.
Hargett had the physical talents, but he had to develop a different mindset to reach, literally, new heights.
“I realized it felt a lot better being happy than being mad at myself,” Hargett said. “Pretty simple, but I had to be really intentional about looking at the good in each day. Each day had setbacks. There are Olympians who don’t have good practices.
“These bad days just might be what is really helping me. The days when the bad stuff gets out, I come back the next day and rejuvenate and focus. I just decided (the stress and frustration) wasn’t worth it.”
Along with the encouragement from Arnold and others, Hargett said his private coach Collin Gayde, of Pole Vault Elite in Fortville, told him before the sectional to “have fun, qualify (for the regional) then have more fun.”
“Once I took the meet as an opportunity to have a fun time rather than I have to do this. That’s when I started to really benefit,” Hargett added. “It made me enjoy the sport again.”
There was nothing more enjoyable than the state finals.
Hargett cleared 14-9 on his second attempt, then, on his first try at the next height, made it over 15 feet.
After a miss on his first attempt at 15-3, Hargett flew over that mark, too, even as the bar shook before staying in its proper place.
“Fifteen was the mark I’d been hoping for all season,” Hargett said. “When I cleared that first try, it was a beautiful vault, a euphoric feeling. I was so happy to give coach Arnold a guy over 15. To do it again at 15-3 and have the bar wiggle and stay on. That was great. That whole meet was great.”
Hargett started seeing what everyone else was witnessing.
“He flipped that switch and finally began believing in himself,” Arnold said. “His parents, head coaches, teammates, we all believed in Cody. He didn’t lose a meet this year until the state meet. He won every meet he participated in, but it wasn’t good enough for Cody. It was always good enough for us. I’m glad he channeled everything in the right direction rather than worrying about failing or letting people down.”
He was having fun again in the sport he loves. That love will continue in college.
Hargett will compete at Indiana Wesleyan University, a Christian university in Marion. He will be pole vaulting for the track and field team and studying a double-major in Pastoral Ministries and Christian Education.
He said he’s excited about his next chapter and grateful that track and field has helped give him this opportunity to compete and study ministry. He wants to compete and mentor kids on his team, helping them get back to having fun at their sport.
“One of the things that drew me to the program was the (coaching staff) didn’t care about PRs,” Hargett said. “They want kids to enjoy themselves.”
