There is a simple reason why Cam Bradna is not a distance runner.
The Naperville Central senior didn’t follow in the track shoes of his brother, Trevor, who ran for Benet, or his late father, Bill, who was a steeplechase All-American at North Central College. You won’t catch Cam doing any long runs.
“I hate running,” Bradna said. “I can’t stand it. I come from a long line of distance runners, but I kind of broke out.”
The only running Bradna likes to do is down a pole vault runway before he throws his body into the air and over a bar set as high as 14 feet, 9 inches off the ground.
For most athletes, keeping one’s feet on the ground would seem to be the more rational approach to track and field. But Bradna started pole vaulting when he was in 6th grade and grew to love it more as the bar went higher.
“I pretty much fell in love with the event right away,” said Bradna, who took first place Saturday at the Top Times Indoor Classic with a 14-foot-9 effort. “It’s unique in its own little way. It’s not something you do every day. Some people don’t even know what it is. It’s fun and it’s really neat, enjoyable to do.
“There is danger and I think about it all the time. You try to push it out of your mind as much as you can. But it can be distracting and it will always be there. You have to take certain precautions, make sure you have mats and stuff like that. Our school just passed a rule that you have to wear helmets. I’ll be wearing a helmet. You have to take precautions and do your stuff right. But even if you do your stuff right, things can happen.”
Bradna has shown improvement this season. As a junior, his personal record was just 13-foot-6. After a year of weight training and improving his technique with the help of Redhawk volunteer vault coach Jeremy Ashcraft, he’s improved by more than a foot. Since the indoor season, he moved from a long list of state medal hopefuls to the short list of potential state champions.
“He’s really matured this year,” said Naperville Central coach George Cyr, a college teammate of Bill Bradna. “He’s been able to focus much better. He’s a lot stronger and much bigger. If he had been able to get more work outside with better weather, I think he might have gone 15-0 at Top Times. He was only able to get in one day of practice outdoors before the meet.
“I think he can go 15, 16 feet outdoors. He’s a competitor and has been consistent at 14-6, 14-9. He has learned from his previous vaults. He knows where he is in the air. His goal is to take state.”
Vaulting outdoors is much different than vaulting inside in a controlled environment. It’s always nice indoors. The temperature is constant, there is no wind and the runway always is dry. There are mental adjustments to the conditions as well as physical adjustments.
Bradna’s outdoor season is scheduled to begin Saturday at the Wheaton North Best Four meet. It was also the scheduled opener last year, but high winds canceled the pole vault. The 2000 meet was called off because of snow and freezing temperatures.
“It all depends on the weather,” Bradna said. “There are certain things you have to do if there is a tailwind or a crosswind. With the weather, it’s a little bit harder. But sometimes it’s easier. Like when you have a tailwind, you can run a heck of a lot faster.”
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So far, Bradna’s senior year has been almost perfect. The only thing missing is his father, who died in a swimming accident off North Carolina’s Outer Banks in August 2000.
“I think about him all the time,” said Bradna. “I wish he was still around to watch me. I’m sure he’s looking down on me.”
The higher he goes, the better the view gets.