Chenango Forks Track and Field
Hall of Fame

Graduated:
School Record in Pole Vault

Class Champion: Pole Vault (1967)

Although an excellent 440 Yard Sprinter and instrumental in countless Forks Mile Relays over his time on Varsity Track, Jerry Bobier will forever be remembered as one of the best Pole Vaulters in school history.  In a decade when vaulting over 11 feet was considered elite in the area, Jerry was simply miles above his competition by the time he was a senior.  Bobier was the Class B Pole Vault Champion in 1967, vaulting 12 feet 9 inches, which was two feet higher than any Fork vaulter had ever achieved and better than all the other Classes by nine inches on that day.  In fact, in the previous ten years, his vault would have won the Overall State Championship half the time, and finished second once.  Obviously, Jerry was the favorite to represent Section IV at the Intersectional Meet, but a leg injury slowed him up and he was unable to duplicate his previous best.

Injured vaulters were not uncommon sights in those days as Pole Vaulting in the 1960s was nothing like it is today.  Fiberglass poles were just beginning to be used at the end of the decade, and many athletes used poles made of either bamboo or metal.  Foam mats were also not the norm until the late 60s as the vaulters landed in either sand or sawdust piles.  Despite these medieval conditions, Jerry Bobier held our Pole Vaulting School Record for 24 years.  During those years, even with the rapidly advancing equipment available, no one from Forks even vaulted within 15 inches of Bobier's best.  Five decades later, he is still ranked fourth All Time in our history.  In fact, 12 feet 9 inches would have placed in the Top 3 in every Class C Meet from 2010-2019 (even winning the event twice!), which just goes to show how ahead of his time Jerry was...