TEMPE, Ariz. -- Some athletes profess to living, breathing and eating their sport. For Sun Devils pole vaulter Garrett Starkey, that expression is no exaggeration. The graduate senior has pole vaulting blood in his veins.
His father, Dean Starkey, won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, and jumped a career best of 19 feet, 5 inches. His stepmother, Jill Starkey, posted a top-10 finish at the 2000 Olympic trials, a fourth place finish at the USA National Championships in 1999 and owns a career best of 14-1.25.
Both parents currently run the Arizona Pole Vault Academy on their Queen Creek property.
"It's our family business," Garrett Starkey said. "It's amazing having two parents who understand the sport. Our dinner-table conversations are about the pole vault. It's what we love to do together."
Garrett said his dad used "reverse psychology" on him at an early age to shield him from the pressure of taking up the sport. It worked.
"I grew up watching my dad and stepmom compete and going to practice with my dad," he said. "They took me to some meets in Monaco and France but he pretty much always told me I had to wait until high school to try it.
"By the time I got to [Chandler Basha] High School I was dying to do it so we got a pole vault pit in our backyard and that's how the academy started, with him just coaching me. He told me my college fund was sitting in the backyard in the form of a pole vault pit so start practicing."
While at Basha, Starkey won state Division I titles in 2011 and 2012, he won the 2011 Arizona Meet of Champions and was second in 2012, he set personal a record of 17 feet while winning the Chandler City Meet, and he placed seventh at 2012 U.S. junior championships.
Those accolades earned him a scholarship to Stanford, which was the exact scenario he laid out in an essay he wrote in sixth grade from the perspective of a 40-year-old looking back on his life -- an essay that also included him driving a green Toyota Tacoma, which he eventually did.
Starkey spent the first three outdoor seasons of his career at Stanford, but with his degree secured, he read up on NCAA rules and decided to begin graduate work at ASU while completing his outdoor eligibility.
With the consent of head coach Greg Kraft, the Sun Devils' NCAA compliance department and Sun Devils pole vault coach Ron Barela, Dean Starkey was able to take part in his son's coaching once again, and the results have exceeded everyone's expectations.
"If you had talked to me a month ago I'd have been excited for him just to get to the NCAA Championships because he's never been before," Barela said. "But right now, he's ranked top 10 in the country and No. 1 in the Pac-12 so his chances this year are very good."
Starkey set a goal for himself to clear 18 feet this season, but he did that sooner than expected, clearing the bar at 5.50m (18-0.50) at the 38th Annual Sun Angel Classic on April 8 to leap into second place on ASU's all-time list, behind Nick Hysong (5.70m; 18-08.25).
"I came into this year with an open mind, not really setting any expectations or limits," he said. "I had no idea what I could accomplish this year but I knew my dad's style of training fit me really well and I hadn't done that since high school.
"We put in a lot volume of plyometrics and bounding this year, and that has been very helpful, but then we're also doing a lot more volume of running than people traditionally do; lots of high intensity speed work with the theory that we put our body through hell and back so it can handle the abuse during the season."
Starkey has a pair of new goals before his collegiate career ends. The first is to clear 18-4 to qualify for USA Nationals at the senior level and compete for a spot on the World Championships team this year. The second is to break Hysong's school record.
Like most track and field athletes, Starkey dreams of an Olympic appearance, but he knows pole vaulters don't earn great incomes so his plan is to earn his Masters in exercise science and join his parents in expanding the family business into sports performance for athletes in all sports.
With Starkey's performances continually climbing, Barela isn't afraid to suggest another possibility.
"Two to three weeks ago, after he jumped 18 feet, him and his dad decided to use longer poles and I was blown away that he was making a lot of changes toward the end of the season," Barela said. "But when we went to San Diego [for the Triton Invitational, April 21-22] he looked unbelievable jumping at 18-4. After that day, I really believe he can line it up and he is in contention to win the national championship."
His father, Dean Starkey, won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, and jumped a career best of 19 feet, 5 inches. His stepmother, Jill Starkey, posted a top-10 finish at the 2000 Olympic trials, a fourth place finish at the USA National Championships in 1999 and owns a career best of 14-1.25.
Both parents currently run the Arizona Pole Vault Academy on their Queen Creek property.
"It's our family business," Garrett Starkey said. "It's amazing having two parents who understand the sport. Our dinner-table conversations are about the pole vault. It's what we love to do together."
Garrett said his dad used "reverse psychology" on him at an early age to shield him from the pressure of taking up the sport. It worked.
"I grew up watching my dad and stepmom compete and going to practice with my dad," he said. "They took me to some meets in Monaco and France but he pretty much always told me I had to wait until high school to try it.
"By the time I got to [Chandler Basha] High School I was dying to do it so we got a pole vault pit in our backyard and that's how the academy started, with him just coaching me. He told me my college fund was sitting in the backyard in the form of a pole vault pit so start practicing."
While at Basha, Starkey won state Division I titles in 2011 and 2012, he won the 2011 Arizona Meet of Champions and was second in 2012, he set personal a record of 17 feet while winning the Chandler City Meet, and he placed seventh at 2012 U.S. junior championships.
Those accolades earned him a scholarship to Stanford, which was the exact scenario he laid out in an essay he wrote in sixth grade from the perspective of a 40-year-old looking back on his life -- an essay that also included him driving a green Toyota Tacoma, which he eventually did.
Starkey spent the first three outdoor seasons of his career at Stanford, but with his degree secured, he read up on NCAA rules and decided to begin graduate work at ASU while completing his outdoor eligibility.
With the consent of head coach Greg Kraft, the Sun Devils' NCAA compliance department and Sun Devils pole vault coach Ron Barela, Dean Starkey was able to take part in his son's coaching once again, and the results have exceeded everyone's expectations.
"If you had talked to me a month ago I'd have been excited for him just to get to the NCAA Championships because he's never been before," Barela said. "But right now, he's ranked top 10 in the country and No. 1 in the Pac-12 so his chances this year are very good."
Starkey set a goal for himself to clear 18 feet this season, but he did that sooner than expected, clearing the bar at 5.50m (18-0.50) at the 38th Annual Sun Angel Classic on April 8 to leap into second place on ASU's all-time list, behind Nick Hysong (5.70m; 18-08.25).
Starkey said he, Barela and his dad have tweaked some technical aspects of his form, and Barela believes the simple joy of training with his dad has elevated Garrett's performance. Garrett also cites a rigorous training program for the leap in performance..@starkeypv ?? he sent it! ????????????
— SunDevilTFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) April 8, 2017
BIG PR at 5.50m (18-0.50), tied for 2nd all-time in #ASU history! #SunAngelClassic pic.twitter.com/eLidNxU2eE
"I came into this year with an open mind, not really setting any expectations or limits," he said. "I had no idea what I could accomplish this year but I knew my dad's style of training fit me really well and I hadn't done that since high school.
"We put in a lot volume of plyometrics and bounding this year, and that has been very helpful, but then we're also doing a lot more volume of running than people traditionally do; lots of high intensity speed work with the theory that we put our body through hell and back so it can handle the abuse during the season."
Starkey has a pair of new goals before his collegiate career ends. The first is to clear 18-4 to qualify for USA Nationals at the senior level and compete for a spot on the World Championships team this year. The second is to break Hysong's school record.
Like most track and field athletes, Starkey dreams of an Olympic appearance, but he knows pole vaulters don't earn great incomes so his plan is to earn his Masters in exercise science and join his parents in expanding the family business into sports performance for athletes in all sports.
With Starkey's performances continually climbing, Barela isn't afraid to suggest another possibility.
"Two to three weeks ago, after he jumped 18 feet, him and his dad decided to use longer poles and I was blown away that he was making a lot of changes toward the end of the season," Barela said. "But when we went to San Diego [for the Triton Invitational, April 21-22] he looked unbelievable jumping at 18-4. After that day, I really believe he can line it up and he is in contention to win the national championship."