ABOUT:
This is just one big page where I can write all about myself, without feeling the need for it to be useful.
Last updated: 2024-04-30
TIMELINE FOR CONTEXT:
1999: Born in Danville, Pennsylvania
2003: Moved to Logan, Utah
2005: Moved to Springdale, Arkansas
2005-2012: My life revolved around sports. Baseball, soccer, football, basketball – I stayed busy year round.
2012: I started pole vaulting. We had a pole vault setup in my front yard.
2013: I could finally say my ‘R’s. Until this point, I struggled to pronounce any word with an R.
2016: I grew distant with most of my childhood friends. I started to really embrace my Mormon roots. I began reading books. I signed an athletic scholarship to attend BYU.
2017: I graduated high school. Four days later, I embarked on a two year Mormon mission trip to Indonesia.
2017-2019:
Lived in Manado, Indonesia (July 2017-December 2017)
Lived in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (December 2017 -March 2018)
Lived in Magelang, Indonesia (March 2018-April 2018)
Lived in Jakarta, Indonesia (April 2018-October 2018)
Lived in Semarang, Indonesia (October 2018-November 2018)
Lived in Medan, Indonesia (November 2018-March 2019)
Lived in Semarang, Indonesia (March 2019-May 2019)
2019: Moved to Provo, Utah — six months later, I cleared 5.70m (18’8.5”) at my first competition for BYU.
2020: Everything was cancelled. I had to confront my accumulation of religious doubts. Faith crisis ensued. Psilocybin mushrooms consumed.
2020-2022: Locked-in. Took ADHD prescription medications five days a week. Focused on to-do lists and checkmarks, relationships suffered. Hairline rapidly receded. Graduated in 3 years.
2022:
Traveled to Ankara, Turkey to get a hair transplant. (August)
Returned to Indonesia for two months to visit old friends and explore. (September-October)
2023:
Enrolled at Duke University on an athletic scholarship for graduate school. Dropped out two weeks later to focus on pole vaulting. (January)
Introduction to the international pole vault scene. Competed in South Korea, Poland, Monaco, Switzerland, and Belgium. (June - September)
Represented Team USA at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Finished in 8th place. Met my girlfriend, Şilan, a Turkish distance runner. (August)
Spent a month in central Taiwan living with a longtime friend, Jimmy Hsu. I love that country. (October)
2024-: Preparing for the Olympic trials, figuring out what’s next in life.