Carson High track and field
Carson High’s Kai Miller signs his Letter of Intent to continue his track and field career at the Colorado School of Mines Wednesday afternoon on the Carson High track.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Kai Miller tied the Carson High School stadium record in pole vault at the regional championships last spring.
A few months later the senior is set on being a student-athlete at the Colorado School of Mines, where he will continue his pole-vaulting career.
Miller’s clearance of 15 feet, six inches not only tied the Carson High Stadium record, it also ties Miller for the seventh tallest clearance in the pole vault in Nevada high school history.
That moment at the regional championships is one of Miller’s fondest memories from competing in track and field in high school.
“At regionals, I was jumping at 15-6. I was the only person left competing,” said Miller. “You had the track team and a bunch of people in the stands, watching me jump and that was kind of surreal to me. The spotlight was on me and no one else.”
The highlights of his athletic career certainly still seem to be in front of him as Miller still has a chance to break more records this spring.
Deciding on Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is one of the most prestigious academics school in the country and competes at the NCAA Div. II level in athletics.
For Miller, who ranks third in his class at Carson High with a 4.9 GPA, the academic rigor will be another test accompanying his athletic career.
“I know Mines is a good academic school that will challenge me and I need the degree to fall on,” said Miller. “It’s another thing to continue my athletic career and continue to do what I love in college.”
“I’m excited for him and I’m excited to see where it takes him,” said Carson High track and field coach Ann Britt. “He is one of the hardest working kids I know.”
The scrupulous academic demands along with a competitive pole vault team made Mines the ideal fit.
The program has also had pole vaulters reach the NCAA Div. II national championships in the past few years.
“They normally have some pretty good jumpers out there. So, that’s kind of what I was feeling. That academic excellence, but they also have a pretty good pole vault team,” said Miller. “I would really like to make it to nationals and hopefully make some major heights and news.”
Miller plans to continue breaking records, hoping to clear 19-to-20 foot bars in the future.
The Oredigger program record in pole vault is 17 feet, 6.5 inches.
The town of Golden, Colorado also reminds the Senator senior of home.
“It’s got that mining town feel like we have here. … The town of Golden is gorgeous, but it’s not too far from Denver,” Miller said. “The environment close enough to home that I feel like I’m at home, but it’s also far enough away.”
In the classroom, Miller plans to major in mechanical engineering.
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