Athlete Interview: Ogden Lucsik
Courtesy of Jim Riggio and MyBurbank
For many high school track athletes, holding a school record or even a meet record is a dream come true. Ogden Lucsik, a junior and pole vaulter at Burbank High School, is no stranger to this dream. This past week at the Pacific League Finals, Lucsik broke the Burbank High School and the pole vault meet record with a jump of 15’3”. However, these records were not without sacrifice and perseverance. This past week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ogden to discuss his journey to the record books and what his future might hold.
Questions:
What made you join track? How did you get into pole vault?
I originally played soccer for 10 years but all of my older brothers did track when they were in high school, so I followed suit. Two of my three brothers did pole vault and I used to go watch their meets after school, and as a kid, I thought, ‘dude this is sick’.
What is your injury and how did you get it? Was it something chronic or more of an acute injury?
I was told that I either had a deep bone bruise or a stress fracture in my back. It was from constant vaulting every day and my ignorance of ignoring the pain. The injury itself was more acute since it only started around a month ago but I perpetuated the problem by continuing to vault.
How did you feel when you were told that you were injured? Was there a specific thought process?
When I was told, I honestly thought it was funny because I knew I wasn’t going to let the label of the injury stop me from vaulting; at around this exact time last year, I had broken my wrist and ankle and was still vaulting into CIF prelims and through Masters. With the season closing soon, I thought that I might as well work through it for the remainder of the year and face the consequences later. I’d rather ignore the pain for a little longer.
How are you currently dealing with your injury? Are you still vaulting or have you taken a bit of time away from it to recover?
Every break day I have between vaulting, I do electrical stimulation, cups, and stretching with the trainer to relieve some of the immediate pain in my back. Currently, I am still vaulting, because where’s the fun in recovery?
How do you manage your injury? What has the recovery process looked like?
Visits to the trainer at school help me manage the injury and protect against further pressures on my back from vaulting. There really isn’t much full recovery happening right now since, at this time in the season, I need to be ready for CIF, but a recovery period after the season ends would be amazing.
What future goals do you have for this season and beyond? Do you plan to continue in college?
For this season, I hope I make it to the State Meet, and next season hopefully do the same and clear over 16 feet. I have come to the conclusion now that potentially pursuing pole vault in college would be pretty cool.
Currently, Ogden is preparing for the CIF-SS Meet which is this Saturday, 5/1. Ogden is a prime example of what it means to persevere through and tackle challenges. We wish Ogden the best of luck this weekend and going forward as he pursues pole vault at the collegiate level. Keep stepping through the pain.
