Veteran pole vaulter Marcus Popp will be inducted into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame this May. In making the announcement today Hall Chair Bill Jacko pointed out that Popp medalled five times at Canadian Championships winning four silver medals and a bronze. He has represented Canada at four International Games and competed at the national level for two decades.
“Marcus has a personal best of 5.35 metres in the pole vault which is among the highest ever recorded by a Canadian pole vaulter and we are proud to announce that he will be inducted May 2nd at the Best Western,” said Jacko in a release.
Popp was a multi sport athlete in his youth-taking part in gymnastics, soccer, hockey, skiing and track and field but when he discovered pole vaulting in grade 11 that proved to be his sport of choice. Although he was a Widdifield student he began to train with experienced PV coach Brian Risk at Chippewa.
In 1992, his final high school year, an ankle injury kept him out of OFSAA but he recovered enough to win a silver medal (PB 4.65) at the Canadian Junior Championships in Winnipeg which gained him a spot on the National Junior Team.
He attended Humber College that same year and began a decade of training at the York University facility, working with internationally recognized coaches. In July of 1997 he cleared 4.9 at the Canadian Championships in Abbotsford, which won him a silver medal and a berth on the Canadian team that competed at the Francophone Games in Madagascar where he placed 5th while clearing 5 metres for the first time.
The next year, after a fine indoor season, he set his personal best of 5.35 at the York University Meet in July and was ranked number one pole vaulter in Canada. Competing for Canada in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia later that same year he battled extreme heat, cleared 5.05 and placed 6th. In 2001 he placed 7th (4.95) in the Francophone Games in Ottawa after winning bronze at Canadians at Edmonton with 4.95. Popp won two other silver medals at Canadian Championships - clearing 5.05 metres at Edmonton in 2002 and 5.00 metres at Victoria in 2003, his 30th year. He also chalked up a 5th (5.05) at Winnipeg in 1999.
He has taken part in Nationals for nearly two decades and he continues to compete at the Masters level. As recently as 2013 he vaulted 4.80 at a meet in Ottawa, the 8th best height recorded by a Canadian that year, his 40th.
Pole vaulting is the sport of choice for very few athletes in Northern Ontario - as a result facilities are limited and support is “chancy”, meaning that Popp often competed “unattached” which didn’t deter him from becoming one of the finest pole vaulters ever produced in this part of the province.
Popp will be one of five individuals who will be inducted into the NBSHF on Saturday, May 2nd at the Best Western. Tickets are available from any Executive Committee member, by calling Chair Bill Jacko at 705-476-1429, Michelle Cundari at 705-471-9771 or by emailing the Sports Awards email at [email protected]. Those interested in searching past inductees are invited to explore the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame website at http://www.northbaysportshalloffame.ca
