AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Wings Elite Pole Vaulting is a group of volunteer coaches using their sport to share an even greater message.
“Every kid has a story,” said Wings Elite volunteer coach Lindsey Cornelius. “Every kid has things that they’re dealing with, that they’re working through.”
Wings Elite has athletes from all around the Panhandle, and even New Mexico.
“We have kids come out here that are not athletes,” said Wings Elite co-founder and volunteer coach Robbie Malone. “By the time they’re done with us, they are athletes. They change the way they run, jump, think about themselves, and they become athletes. Kids come out here and can’t jog down the runway and jump into the pit. Four years later, they’re going over heights that normal pole vaulters can’t do.”
They’re a faith-based non-profit organization based on the Bible verse Isaiah 40:31.
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“We’re teaching them more than just sport,” said Wings Elite volunteer coach Daniel Bush. “We recognize that all sports will end for everyone at some point in their career. We try to get them to be the best they can be in their sport but also the best they can be in life.”
Many schools are unable to provide enough poles to equip their students. It’s one of the more expensive sports, as a pole vault pit can cost up to $35,000. Then, just a single pole can cost over $1,000. Wings Elite has over 80 for their athletes to use. If their school doesn’t have one to their liking, they can rent their favorite pole from Wings Elite to use in meets.
That’s not all Wings Elite does to provide for their athletes. Co-founder and volunteer coach Steve Lott collects scrap metal to raise extra funds for the organization, none of which goes toward the coaches’ pockets.
“If they have old refrigerators, appliances, almost anything metal, I’ll go pick it up and break it down, so we can get the most for it,” said Lott. “We take that money and [help] kids that can’t afford shoes, we take the kids on trips in the summer, and so we use some of that money to help parents with gas money, meal money, and that sort of thing.”
Wings Elite is just one of many examples of the Panhandle sports community looking out for each other.
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