By ANDRES YBARRA, Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (February 24, 2002 02:22 PM EST) - The Big Ten track and field indoor championships were called off Sunday, a day after a Penn State pole vaulter died in competition.
The decision was made after a meeting of Big Ten coaches, conference athletic commissioner Jim Delaney said. The meet, which began Saturday, won't be rescheduled. Delaney said the women's championships at Penn State would hold a moment of silence Sunday. Kevin Dare, a 19-year-old Penn State sophomore, fell during a pole vault attempt Saturday and hit his head. He was treated by emergency medical technicians at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse and then was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. He never regained consciousness, and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Dare won the pole vault in the U.S. junior championships in June, clearing 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches. Dare's parents were at the meet Saturday. His older brother, Eric, throws the javelin for Penn State during the outdoor season and is a defensive back for the football team. Penn State coach Harry Groves said two of his assistants spent the evening with Dare's family. "Their indication off the bat was the one that you would expect: 'Please go on with the meet,'" Groves said. "But we felt they couldn't have said anything else. At the time, it was a normal reaction. But I agree wholeheartedly with the Big Ten's decision." The two-day meet was to resume Sunday morning. After the coaches met for about an hour, the decision was made to cancel all events. "The competing principles are: No. 1, how do you show respect and how do you engage in the mourning process in the appropriate way," Delaney said. "And No. 2, how do you move forward with life? "While there were good reasons on both sides for continuing and for canceling, I think everyone felt that in the long term that it was the right decision." Witnesses said Dare tumbled backward, headfirst, onto the metal "box" - the area 8 inches deep that is used to plant the pole. He was attempting a vault of 15-7. "He swung upside down and sort of stalled with his jump," Minnesota assistant coach Mario Sategna said. "It looked like he became disoriented and didn't know where he was. I believe he thought he had cleared the bar and was on the other side of it." A pole vaulter was killed in a similar accident in the 1993 Sioux City, Iowa relays. Copyright © 2002 SportServer
