On Thursday, April 12, 2012, Central Bucks West senior Corey Smith was recognized for signing a letter of intent to compete in track and field at East Stroudsburg University.
Corey Smith – East Stroudsburg University (Track & Field)
Major: Secondary Education/Mathematics
Final list of colleges: East Stroudsburg, Millersville
Reasons for choosing East Stroudsburg: “I like the small campus, and it’s surrounded by a bigger town, so there’s always something to do. There aren’t too many kids, and you’re not just a number.”
When did you start thinking about competing at the collegiate level? “I guess it was last year. I realized I had to start taking it seriously and that it was definitely possible. Last spring we talked about it and started looking at colleges. Once the topic came up I realized I was not too far away with the height. I just had to take it seriously, work harder and now we’re here.”
Coach Greg Wetzel says: “Corey is quiet leader, and he leads by example. He’s here everyday working hard. He’s done a lot to put on a lot of muscle, and that was not something he had when he started two years ago as a sophomore. Corey was 130 pounds as a sophomore, and in pole vaulting, it’s necessary to have enough mass to bend the pole. Corey has worked on developing his strength with coach Patrick Conboy, which has put him in the position now where he is vaulting another two feet higher than he was last year already. The same thing happened last year – he put on enough mass that he was able to jump about two feet higher than he did as a sophomore. Through his dedication, he was able to make steady gains over the last two years. He came in as a good vaulter, jumping 11 feet. His junior year he was good and consistent and working toward great. He never really took anybody by surprise. He just slowly improved and improved and improved to where he is now, jumping 15-1. That’s really some rare air up there.”
Coach Scott Sherwood says: "Corey is just a tremendous naturally gifted athlete. He's very dedicated. He has tons of personal intrinsic drive within him. I guide him, but he really takes it to a whole new level with his work ethic. What he's done in the offseason blew my mind - how much time he spent in the weight room, working on technique on his own and just a lot of intrinsic drive he has to be the best he can be."
About Corey:
Favorite food: Hot Wings
Favorite movie: Step Brothers
Favorite music: Jimi Hendrix
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