Sarafian battled his way to NCAA meet

Atlanticville.gmnews.com
06-18-2009

BY TIM MORRIS, Staff Writer

Adam Sarafian has learned that success isn’t measured by how high you
vault or titles you’ve won. It’s how you handle adversity.

No one seemed to have a brighter future in front of them entering
college than the former Ocean Township High School great.

The Spartan enjoyed the finest polevaulting season in state history his
senior year. He elevated the state record to the still standing 17-4 ½
and won the Triple Crown in the spring, the Penn Relays, Golden West and
National Outdoor championships. He was the top-ranked pole-vaulter in
the country.

The future seemed to hold so much promise for him as he headed to the
University of Georgia in Athens.

Sarafian’s collegiate goals were to raise his personal best up to 18-4,
which just happens to be the qualifying standard for the U.S. Olympic
Trials and win an NCAA title.

Sarafian’s collegiate career, which started at the University of
Georgia, took a side trip to Arkansas State and concluded back at
Georgia, ended last week (June 10) at the NCAA Championships in
Fayetteville, Ark. and it concluded without an NCAA title and with a pb
of 17-6 ½. But, before you judge his college career a disappointment (he
was All-American in 2006), walk a mile in his shoes.

Considering all obstacles he had to overcome (a rash of debilitating
injuries) and the limitations it put on him, Sarafian’s career was far
from disappointing. In fact, it was inspirational, a tribute to making
the best out of a bad situation and never throwing in the towel. He
learned more about life than he did vaulting in Athens.

"I just learned that no matter how I do, be happy with what I did under
the circumstances," said Sarafian, who graduated from Georgia last month
with a degree in geology.

Those circumstances were a rash of injuries that tested his resolve.
But, no matter how many times he was knocked down, he kept getting back
up. When others would have had enough, he carried on.

"It made me feel good that I didn’t stop," said Sarafian. "It was
character building."

Just being in Fayetteville was a triumph in itself for Sarafian. Back in
March, everything was going well for the former Spartan. Then, in
practice, his pole snapped and it resulted in a broken right hand, the
one he uses to push off on the pole as it is planted.

The broken hand didn’t keep him from competing and he would take sixth
place at the Southeast Conference Championships back in April.

When he was competing at the NCAA East Region, Sarafian still had pain
in that right hand, but, that, was only part of his problem. He had
developed pain in his right foot as well. A pain, it turns out, that
signaled a stress fracture.

This didn’t stop him from competing either. To compensate for the
injury, Sarafian limited his run up to 80 feet (everyone else was doing
at least 120).

"I go as fast as I can on the runway," Sarafian explained.

Under those circumstances, the NCAA’s were a long shot at best when he
competed in the NCAA East Regional on May 30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Sarafian did more than just compete. He managed to do 16-11 ¾, which was
good enough for fourth place and a surprise ticket to the NCAA.

"I didn’t know I made it," he said. "After I missed my last jump at
17-2, I thought it was the last jump of my college career and I was
pretty upset.

"I was astonished I got fourth place," he added. "I said to myself "it’s
a good thing you didn’t give up."

He had new life and was off, fittingly, for the University of Arkansas
for his final college meet. And, fittingly, Sarafian would clear a
season’s best 17-2 ¾ in the qualifying round. It appeared to be good
enough to get him to the finals (he was even told he has qualified) as
he finished in a four-way tie for 15th place. Eighteen vaulters cleared
17-2 ¾ and in order to narrow the field down for the finals, Sarafian
and the three others vaulters, who cleared that height on their final
attempts were eliminated (the other 14 had cleared 17-2 ¾ on either
their first or second attempts).

As hard as it was for Sarafian not to get to the final, he learned that
victory isn’t always finishing in the medals. It’s what you did with the
cards you were dealt and judging the results with the hand he was dealt
(broken foot), Sarafian would say he is happy that he set a new broken
foot personal best.

Some of the adversity that Sarafian faced had nothing to do with
vaulting. He decided to transfer to Arkansas State after his sophomore
year because he didn’t think things were working out in Athens.

"I was a little unhappy (at Georgia)," he said. "I learned the grass
isn’t greener on the other side.

"I went back where I had everything," he added.

Georgia took Sarafian back. But, soon, the injury bug would begin to
strike. In the summer of 2007, it was discovered that he had fractured
discs in his lower back. He was in back brace for four months and
physical therapy followed. The 2008 season was one of rebuilding,
Sarafian was ready for a big senior year (he won the Kentucky
Invitational at the start of the indoor season) and then came March and
the broken hand.

Along with injuries and broken bones, Sarafian also had to deal with
having four different vaulting coaches in his career. Luckily, just in
time, he found a coach that is seemingly perfect for him in Petros
Kyprianou.

"I like him a lot," said Sarafian. "A coach is someone you hang out with
three or four hours a day. He’s someone you need to talk to."

Sarafian and Kyprianou have clicked as a team and it’s the big reason
that he made it to the NCAA’s and why he has not said goodbye to pole
vaulting.

After spending the summer doing geology work in Alaska and healing his
foot, Sarafian will return to Georgia for postgraduate work in the fall
where he will continue to be coached by Kyprianou. The goal is to get to
the European circuit next summer with the long-term goal the 2012
Olympic Trials.

What Sarafian is looking forward to the most though, is the opportunity
to set a ‘healthy personal best.’ He deserves that at the very least.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pole-vaulter Adam Sarafian, who overcame a series of
debilitating injuries to continue competing, recently wrapped up his
collegiate career.

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