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Q&A with Kennard-Dale's Dylan Moynihan


Kennard-Dale senior Dylan Moynihan had just stepped off the podium after earning a YAIAA gold in the boys' pole vault when he looked for his lucky hat. Once he found it late Monday afternoon, just as the sun was setting on the makeup day for the league's track and field championships, Moynihan talked about his hat, vaulting at Dallastown and more. Here's what he had to say:

Your hat's your trademark?

Yeah every dual meet and invitational I've worn it. Except for today.

Why not today?

They wouldn't let me. That made me mad.

Think they'll let you wear it for districts?

No. ... maybe. I don't know, we'll find out.

What's so special about the hat.

It's my hat. I don't know. It's a redneck's trademark, I guess. (laughs)

You set the meet pole vault record at the Wildcat Invitational here at Dallastown a few weeks ago. Is there something you like about this place?

I love the runway. Just more of the environment. I really wish this was held on Friday because today, I felt the atmosphere was more lazy and mellow.

Was it more the weather or atmosphere that took away from the continued day of the meet?

I jump pretty well, I think, in cold weather as hot weather. It doesn't really faze me. Headwinds faze me. Usually if I have a tailwind or it's cold, I just block it out. Today, just little, little tweaks and I would have had it. Would have had 14-9, but it didn't happen.

Are you more disappointed in that or you more happy to be a YAIAA champion?

I'm more disappointed. I don't think 14 feet is good enough to be a county champion. I don't think so. I wanted it to be higher. I was looking today to come back with the school record, for one, because that would have beaten the long-lasting school record. But I wanted to come back with a 15-6 to bring the school record and county record back to Kennard-Dale because it was just beaten last year by Jared (Allison). It was in Kennard-Dale's name a long time, and Jared beat it. This was my second time with this pole, and I just couldn't pull it off.

Just the second time, huh?

The 15-80, yeah.

What's the other time you used it?

Here at Dallastown (when he set that meet record).

Is there something about a new pole?

It's not the new pole, it's how you hit the new pole. If you get a new pole and it's too big for you, you can't even get on it. Then it's not usable. You got to get a new pole that's usable, and that's what we're doing with this 15-80. Today I was landing far enough back into the pit where it was usable.

I think (this) week I'm going to use it in practice, getting all the way through with the row, and I'm going to be confident with a 15-foot-plus jump at districts.

Why didn't you use this new pole more between the Wildcat Invitational and the postseason?

At Dallastown, I couldn't quite get on it like I'd like to. It was at Dallastown where I went up, came right back down and was almost killing myself with it. I practiced almost one day each week with it, but the 15-75 was really got the plant.

Usually we'll use a 15-75 for the lower heights because we blow through it so much. It's not enough pop to get us up high.

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