Loyola pole vaulter Evan Barr explains what happened at state meet

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There have been close to 4,000 comments made on a Yahoo.com story about the decision to disqualify Los Angeles Loyola pole vaulter Evan Barr last weekend at the state track and field championships when he uttered a profanity at the conclusion of a jump. That DQ cost the Cubs a state title.

I spoke to Barr by phone on Wednesday, and he said he understands what the officials did.

‘I was just really frustrated that I wasn’t able to continue,’ he said.

Barr finished tied for third place after missing on a final attempt. The points he accumulated would have been enough to give Loyola a state championship. But after his final miss, he tossed his pole and let out a profanity that was loud enough to be heard in the stands.

‘I just had knee surgery five weeks ago and was thinking I had a shot at winning,’ he said. ‘I really wanted to win. I felt I should have won last year, and it didn’t happen. On my third miss, I was really frustrated. My emotions got the better of me. Immediately afterward, I felt so terrible. Within a minute, I sat down and had to apologize.’

Barr said he didn’t know he had been disqualified until the awards presentation.

‘They were telling everybody who had placed and told me to wait because they had to review what happened,’ he said. ‘I totally understand what they did. I felt so bad. It was such a big thing for my teammates and myself. I felt responsible for it.’

Barr said he tried to apologize afterward. ‘I went to every single official I could find on the field,’ he said.

Barr said he had never been informed about the rule that the use of a profanity in a competitive area could get you disqualified, but he said, ‘It’s pretty much common sense.’

-- Eric Sondheimer