Even two bad kneecaps and one of the best fields in FHSAA history couldn’t keep David Shepherd from winning the title he has always wanted. On Saturday, May 8th, David performed flawlessly as he made each of his bars, starting at 14′, on his first attempt. This proved to be too much for the rest of the field asDavid stood alone on the runway with the bar at 16′, knowing he had achieved the goal that he had waited so patiently to achieve. David has earned his place in the great vaulters of FHSAA history with this performance, not because of the height but because of the determination and grit that he showed to accomplish this feat.
In early February, David was in a car accident that caused the dislocation of both kneecaps. The pain was unbearable at times throughout the season, sometimes causing him not to be able to vault or train. Specialist after specialist in the South Florida area were vistited in hopes of a treatment that might make the pain go away, but to no avail. In the regional track meet, his team was in need of a leg on the 4×100 relay for the finals. Selflessly, David accepted the position and ran the leg on the relay in the middle of the pole vault. Although the relay finished sixth in the region and did not advance, the run took its toll on David’s knees and he was unable to win his regional, finishing second to teammate, Hunter Moon, who jumped a personal best of 14’6″. So for the entire week leading up to the state meet, David had to deal with the mental possiblity of not winning the state championship and the physical anguish of his kneecap pain. Many times, adversity can either bring out the best in a person or crush them like an empty aluminum can in the depths of the ocean, depending on the character of the individual. Failure would just have to take a back seat for this competition, because David Shepherd would not be denied. Not only did he beat one of the best fields in any FHSAA competition, but he set a personal record in the process. Let this be a lesson to those out there who face adversity in the future.
David’s patience proved to be a virtue on Saturday as he was handed the “crown and scepter”. David’s freshman and sophomore year, he vaulted behind teammate Riley Egan, who set the state record at 16’7″ in 2008. His junior year he would have to settle for a place on the podium as he watched Mike Vani break that record in 2009 with a vault of 16’8″. His wait was well worth it as he stood atop the awards stand on that late Saturday afternoon in May. As David hobbled off the awards stand, I realized how fortunate I was personally to have worked with such a fine young man. David’s father, Coach Shepherd, was a standout track athlete at Gibbons High School in Ft. Lauderdale. I guess there is something in the gene pool, probably on his mom’s side, because David has a little brother, Nico, who is also a vaulter, so we’ll have to keep our eye out for another Shepherd on the awards stand in the future.
Congratulations David, you have stepped out of the shadows of your predecessors and now you are the man others will look up to in the future.
