Fry can fly

SYCAMORE – When someone in northwest Ohio thinks about Mohawk athletics, they probably think of football, softball or even basketball with what Paul Dunn has done for the program recently.They probably don't think of track and field.Until now.That's the kind of impact senior pole vaulter Zaiden Fry has made.Fry, a stellar all-around athlete, is an all-Ohio football player and played on Mohawk's regional basketball team this past winter.But even more impressive is his two state titles in pole vault.Yes … pole vault.When asked why pole vault, because he also sprints and he could do plenty of other events because of the kind of athlete he is, he said it actually was a funny story how his first jump went."It was my seventh grade year, we went all the way through the season. I remember it was like two, three days until the league meet," Fry said. "The high schoolers were pole vaulting. And I had just gotten done with all my stuff and then the pole vault coach, my pole vault coach now, Aaron Ekleberry, he went up to the varsity coach and said: 'Hey, you wanna have Zaiden just come try this for me next year?' And he's like, 'Sure, he's done with all of his events.' So he threw me in and I remember they put a bungee up there, the bungee was at 8-6, and he's like, 'Just grab it and try to like kick it.' And my very first time I went over it. I didn't even touch it. "And everybody was just shell-shocked. And then he brought coach over and I kept doing it like over and over again. And he's like, 'Why didn't you have him do it all the rest of the year? So that's where it started. So the seventh grade summer is when I really got into it and I went to my first class up in Bellevue. Ever since then it's been my sport." Since that first jump, Fry has been on a tear. He vaulted 12 feet his eighth grade year, which he said was second in the nation at that point for his age. He continued his classes at Altitude in Bellevue twice a week and even had equipment set up at his house and in his barn. Somehow between playing other sports, he found time to always practice pole vaulting. All that work led to a state title his sophomore season, which was a "Cinderella Story," he said. "I pole vault at least two days a week through all my sports. If not, sometimes it would be every day I'd sit up in my room and there's a drill that you don't even need anything," Fry said. "You just lay down, sit on your butt, you roll back onto your back and then you just push yourself up and over. So it's like a little pipe thing and it just practices getting your abs and your body in control."But the overall dedication to the sport is something first-year boys track coach Carl Daniel admired."In terms of what he's been able to accomplish and not only in track, but all of the sports he's played, has been pretty incredible," he said. "In terms of individual success, we've never had an individual two-time state champ, and he already did that with a year to go. I think more than anything, yes he's a great young men, he has all these great attributes, but it shows how much time and work he puts into defining his craft. He puts so much time into vaulting to get to this level. In junior high you could tell he had potential with his given ability, but what he's done to hone his craft ... pretty incredible. The family he comes from is also supportive. "When (teammates) come out for track, they may not know how much time he puts into it. They probably just assume he focuses on pole vault in the spring because he plays sports year round and that's not the case, he's working on it year round. It shows kids, yes he's a good athlete, yes he has potential, but the reason he is a multi-time state champion is how much he's put into this on his own time and outside of practice time. That's what it takes to be successful like he has been."Yes, even before he got to high school there was some pressure on him because of his 12-foot jump in eighth grade. Then the COVID year wiped out his freshmen spring season. But being a relatively unknown by the rest of the state his sophomore year, he just qualified for state as the fourth and final regional placer. Then he shocked everyone.He called it "an awakening" for himself. "There was great competition that year. There was a kid committed to Army and then another one that they both had higher PR's than me," Fry said. "They were both higher jumpers than I was. And I know those two had fought coming up in regionals being in the same area, but I feel like they had a personal thing against me because I'd beaten them when I was younger and they knew me from that."It was definitely an awakening of sorts for me to know what I could actually do. I just from then on knew that if I wanted to do something, I just have to go for it and put in the work. I mean coming into state I was the very last qualifier … it did feel like a Cinderella story or something. I know God was on my side that day. It was just a crazy feeling."He won with a 14-6 vault. Delivering a state title was a validation to himself surely, but with two years left of high school, it did come with pressure."Yeah, definitely there's pressure. I would say junior year was definitely the most pressure I had in all sports really in football and track," he said. "Mostly because I needed to step up in football and in track that year. But now I feel it's a little different. I can still walk away out of high school knowing I won two state championships in my career. Now I might be disappointed if I don't win this year because I know I could've done better, but at the end of the day, I'm going to college for this and I know I can get some redemption there."At the time of this story, Fry hasn't yet selected which school he will attend in the fall, but he is going to further his career as a pole vaulter somewhere. He may even walk-on for football too he said.But to do something like pole vault and to put that much time and effort into being the best in the state, he has to love it right?"It's such a diverse sport because it's like every single track event in one in my eyes," Fry said. "You have the run where you're sprinting with the pole, you have the high jump or long jump and it's basically all the same steps. "I mean, I don't know why it's so appealing to me … you get to fly in the air. Now that's fun. I don't know how to put it. It's just a thrill for me."The best thrill for Fry last year was defending his state title in Columbus.With a lot more people there for that state meet, he needed to deliver a 16-foot jump to win on his last attempt to successfully defend his title.Of course, he delivered."So it was definitely a great feeling, but it was kind of a different feeling than the first one I won," he said. "I don't think it felt better, but it was just different mostly because of how many more people there were for that one. It was a lot more nerve wracking. Plus, the heat got to all of us. I remember when I went home and my entire body was pink from the sun and the heat."Obviously, this year I want to win. That's always a goal of mine, but it's not my main goal this year. My main goal is the all-time state record height, which is 17-4. It's 17-3 now, but that 17-4 is my main goal this year. And to just seal my name at the top of all of Ohio would be special. I don't know of many people who have repeated, let alone won three titles in a career, so it would be special to do that."Yes, he wants to win a third state title. Yes, he wants to set the all-time height record for pole vault. But where does his drive come from? He's won two, he's heading to Houston University to continue his athletic career, couldn't he just coast to the finish line? No. Not Zaiden Fry."It's just a competitive drive that God has given me," he said. "Ever since I was young, there's just always been so much encouragement from people around me to always do the best I possibly can in what I do. Everyone has been so supportive. And from the jump I always had a motor. I hated to lose no matter what."So I was lucky to basically always be on teams that were successful while growing up. But I just hate to lose and I'm not OK with mediocre. I hate the saying, 'I could've done better.' I just hate that. It's just a mental thing. I always have to be better. And even though I've won before, I'm still not number one in the nation, so there is always something to strive for and get better. Once I get to college, I'll be the new guy on the block, so I'll have to keep up my work ethic and earn my spot."One place Fry has earned a spot in is Mohawk's history of top athletes.As he goes for a rare three-peat in the pole vault this spring season, one thing is for sure: when you think of Mohawk now, track and field should come to mind."(The state titles) mean a lot because even last year a lot of people all they look at is the big Division I school's and they think Division II or III athletes aren't as competitive," Fry said. "They don't have the times or the heights that D-I has. It's just a dis on the smaller schools to be honest. We definitely have the talent, we have the work ethic. "I guess when you look at it I helped Mohawk with the track aspect side of things getting our name out there because not a lot of people from Mohawk have done this for track. There were a lot of people while I was down there asking where Mohawk was at? I would ask them, 'You know where Tiffin is?' Or 'You know where Findlay is?' I always have to name those bigger places because people don't know where Mohawk is. But going to regional in basketball probably helped too and I think our senior class has started to build a legacy for Mohawk."