Hall-Dale’s Ian Stebbins competes in the pole vault during the Mountain Valley Conference championship meet at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

During a recent visit to Farley Field House to walk around the indoor track, Tina and I began chatting with the student monitor at the desk, as is our wont. “What sport do you play?” I asked, since most monitors play a sport. “Track.” What event?” “I do the pole vault.” “How’s it going?” “I broke the Bowdoin [College] indoor pole vault record yesterday.”

He relayed this news as calmly as one might say, “I had peas for dinner last night.”

Whoa, I thought to myself. Who is this guy? We learned that Ian Stebbins is a senior majoring in math and computer science. That he grew up in Farmingdale, Maine. And that he already has a job lined up starting in June. Sensing that he’d make for a fine profile, I asked if he’d be willing to be interviewed. He agreed.

Ian Stebbins could fairly be called a “diamond in the rough.” He graduated valedictorian from Hall Dale High School in Farmingdale. A multi-talented athlete, he played several sports, although track topped the list. Indeed, he won four different events at the Mountain Athletic Conference Championship in his senior year: pole vault, triple jump, long jump and high jump.

Two of his high school teachers (both Bowdoin graduates) had inspired him.

“They stressed the need to work hard and show grit,” said Ian. Their influence prompted him to put Bowdoin on his short list. He began exploring colleges during his junior year, not the best of times as that was in the spring of 2020, the start of COVID. Bowdoin seemed “too large” on his first visit to campus, but the second visit sealed the deal. “It had everything I wanted.”

While Ian’s high school track record was commendable, it didn’t draw the attention of college coaches. What a difference four years make! When he arrived at Bowdoin, his previous best pole vault had been around 12 feet. On Feb. 16, Ian topped the bar at 4.9 meters, or slightly over 16 feet, breaking the record he had set just a few weeks earlier, the day before we met him. Bowdoin’s head track and field coach, Lara-Jane (LJ) Que, describes Ian as “a miracle man” and raves about his work ethic and leadership ability.

Ian gives huge credit to the pole vault coaches he has had at Bowdoin — Amanda Kulas until last November and Sophie Slovenski since that time. “Sophie is so good technically,” he marvels.

Ian acknowledges that it takes some time to adjust to the fact that you’re projecting your body over 15 feet in the air with no assurance that you will land safely. Injuries are part of the sport, and Ian has continued to shine despite a partially torn patella. “Visualization is the key,” he said. He goes over the jump in his mind many times in the days leading up to the meet. When it’s time to jump, he’s in a zone — focused, fearless, relaxed.

Ian also applies grit to his academic pursuits. A top student, he interned at Berkley Research Group in Boston last summer, and he’ll be working as a global data analyst for the firm starting in June.

Ian demonstrated his analytical abilities when he explained to me why it’s great to be part of a team in which the men and women practice and compete together. “The women have honed much better skills. They don’t try to overpower an event, like the men tend to do. We can learn from them.”

I asked Ian what advice he would give to first-year Bowdoin students. He paused and then said, “Enjoy every second. Four years go by so fast.” Wow, that’s good advice for anyone at any age.

In his not so spare time, Ian coaches pole vault at St. Dominic Academy in Auburn, starting many pole vaulters from scratch. He also enjoys camping, mountain biking, surfing and snowboarding.

Ian impressed me so much that I asked him if he’d like to talk with my son David, a top executive at Amazon in Seattle. He said that he would, so I arranged a call. David reported that Ian asked excellent questions. Ian said that David was very insightful.

I don’t know how high Ian will jump in future pole vault competitions this spring or where his life path will lead. But I can guarantee you that he will clear many high bars, enjoying every minute along the way.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.