Thursday, April 13, 1978
University Daily Kansan
13
Staff Photo by DONALD WALLER
Tan Sealts has set some goals for himself at the University of Kansas. The pole vaulter wants to compete in the 1980 Olympics and break the world pole vault record of 265 cm (89 ft). He will be the first person to do so.
Jubilation
Gutsy Scales leads pole vaulters
Bv RODNEY ANDERSON
Sports Writer
Tad Scales' athletic career at the University of Kansas has been marked by a series of setbacks and disappointments followed by a succession of comebacks.
Twice, the 22-year-old KU vehicle vaulter has been involved in accidents that nearly ended his life.
Both times, however, Scales exercised the intestinal fortitude and courage to come back with more determination to attain his goal, being the best pole vault in the world.
THE MAN WHO instilled the courage and determination into Scales died recently. That man was his father, and the death was Scales's toughest opponent.
"It was the greatest thing in my life that I've ever had to overcome," Scales said. "I've had to come back from a lot of really rough things, but that was the toughest.
Scales' father died in February, on the weekend of an indoor track meet in Okahama City. Scales, Lawrence senior, said he had a preamendment his father would die when Scales visited his father in the office, before the team departed for Okahama.
"I knew it was going to happen; there was no question in my mind," Scales said. "He said, 'Well, love me, I love you and gave me a piece of the past' was the last time I would ever see him."
THE RELATIONSHIP between Scales and his father was extremely close, access
"He gave me everything in the world I am
"My father was the greatest competitor I have seen in my life. I have never seen him give up, ever. Most kids have heroes, like Superman . . . mine was my dad."
now". Scales said. "If I am touch, it is because I saw it in front. If I am a comrade, it is because I saw it in front."
Scales wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, an all-conference football player at Emptya State University. At Emptya University, he shot the shot put and was a golden gloves boxer.
THE COMPETITIVE SPIRIT passed from father to son surfaced when Scales tried out for his junior high school's track team.
Scales, who is one of the Jayhawks' six captains, said he was too slow and to run with the sprinters and too weak to throw the shot put, so he tried the role vault.
In the first two weeks of vaulting, Scales couldn't clear 6-1. One day, Scales recalled, he cleared 8-6 and from that point on, his career blossomed.
At Lawrence High School, Scales became the first Kansas high school athlete to vault 16 feet. His accomplishments in high school earned him a scholarship to KU.
SCALES HYPEREXTENDED his knee in a motorcycle accident in the spring of his senior year.
As a freshman, Scales earned All-America honors with a fifth-plate finish at the 1975 NCAA Indoor. Injuries his son experienced year, however, stiffened his松
"It really blew me away," he said. "I only got to vault in two meets. After the Big
Home runs lift Royals, 5-2
Eight meet I decided to call a season. It was too late to come back; it really
wasn't.
But Hal McRae drew a one-out walk in the sixth, George Brett struck out and Al Cowens singled before Otis lined Mike Koehler's 2-4 pitch into the left field bleachers.
Scales spent the summer resting and allowing his knee to heal. By the fall of his junior year, Scales said he was stronger and faster than ever before until a freak accident in practice sidelined him for a portion of his career. His injury resulted in a broken sternum.
Although Scales said he never considered giving up track because of the injuries, the doctors were confident.
"I DON'T THINK OF vaulting as a dangerous sport, but deep down you know it is." Scales said. "I've seen guys get carried away in the mennagon.
If you have just a single ounce of doubt in your mind while you're coming down that
COMPETING IN THE Texas Rebels last week, Scales tied for fifth place with a vault of 16-1. He has won the Big Eight indoor pole vault title the last two years. He also won the pole vault in the university division of last year's Kansas Rebles.
After graduation, Scales will stay in the area to train for the Moscow Olympics.
"I don't care if I have an arm amputated—"I'm going," he said.
Another of Scales' goals is to break the game for 18-8-4 held by American Dave Roberts.
"I'm not going to quit until I accomplish what I'm capable of accomplishing," Scales said. "Deep down I know what I was born to. I'm not going to quit until I get it done."
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KANSAS CITY (AP) -Amos Otis hit a three-run-homer and Darr尔 Porter followed with an inside-the-park shot Wednesday night as the Kansas City Royals won a 3-2 victory and handed the winless Bingham Orioles their fifth consecutive loss.
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The Orioles, off to their worst start in 23 years, took their only lead on Eddie Wright.
Omaha dropped as Kings' site
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —The Kansas City Kings cut their ties Wednesday with Omaha, Neb. they home away from home and are the first to play three games next season in St. Louis.
Joe Axelson, president and general manager of the National Basketball Association club, cited poor attendance as a principal obstacle to play to no more games in Ormaha.
The announcement ended a relationship that started when the Kings (then known as the Kansas City-Ormahha Kings) played 15 of them in November and moved from Cincinnati. The number of games played at Ormahha dwindled to six in October and they dropped off from their name in 1975.
The average attendance was 5,929 for the six games in Omaha during the just-completed season, down from 6,435 years ago. Attendance at Kings' games in Kansas City averaged 8,067 during the 1977-78 season.
Two of the additional three games next season in Kansas City will be played at Municipal Auditorium instead of the Kings' regular home base, Kemper Arena. The arena is tied up for two weeks each November, near the start of the NBA season, with the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show.
ADVENT - ALLISON - H H SCOTT
"Since the team moved to Kansas City in 1972, we have had the problem of playing as many as 12 of our first 16 games on the road," Axelson said at a news conference Wednesday. "That has been a burden that's not going away, especially the team has gotten off to a bad start."
"With these two additional home dates in November in Kansas City, the team should start playing again."
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