PHOENIX- Arizona State University's Garrett Starkey was born to pole vault. The senior has the sport running through his veins.
His dad, Dean Starkey, won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships. During his prime, he made vaulting 19 feet look easy. His stepmother, Jill Starkey, finished in fourth place at the USA National Championships in 1999.
The family runs the Arizona Pole Academy in Queen Creek, which they call the "family business."
Garrett didn't try pole vaulting until his freshman year at Basha High School per his dad's wishes. Garrett, who always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, took right to the sport. Winning the NCAA Division 1 titles in 2011 and 2012. From there, he went on to vault at Stanford for three years. After earning his degree, Garrett decided to return to the Valley to begin his graduate degree at ASU, while finishing his last year of eligibility as a Sun Devil.
On Wednesday, Garrett will compete for the first time at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Like most track and field athletes, Garrett has dreams of competing in the Olympics one day, with his dad right beside him as his coach. But no matter what, he's going to help dad out after college and join the family business.