Head Coach- Bob Cervenka
Bob Cervenka is a past Illinois state champion and a four-year collegiate letter winner. During Cervenka’s 40 years of coaching the pole vault and high jump, he has coached a World Champion, Commonwealth Games Silver medalist, World Championship and Olympic finalist, two World Youth Championship finalists, 19 USATF/AAU Junior Olympic All Americans, as well as 8 IHSA state champions, 142 state qualifiers and 77 finalists.
Bob Cervenka won the Illinois State H.S Championship in the high jump in 1976 while attending Downers Grove North High School and was runner-up in 1977. He went on to attend Eastern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in physical education and health education in 1982. After serving as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Nebraska from 1985-88. Then went to South Africa where he coached at the National and club level until 2006. There, he established himself as a “Jumps Guru” coaching athletes who qualified for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, 1999 & 2001 World Youth Championships, 2000 & 2003 African Championships, 2002 World Championships.
In total, Bob has coached numerous male 7-footers, led by Jacques Freitag, the 2003 World Champion in the high jump who recorded a best of 7’ 9 3/4” (2.38m) in 2005. On the Women’s side he coached 14’ 6” (4.42m) vaulter, Elmarie Gerryts, 17 year old junior vaulter who jumped 13’ 3 1/2” (4.05m), and 16 year old youth vaulter who jumped 12’ 11”.
In the high jump, Bob has coached numerous male 7-footers, led by Jacques Freitag, the 2003 World Champion in the high jump who recorded a best of 7’ 9 3/4” (2.38m) in 2005. On the women’s side he coached 6’ 3” (1.90m) Nicollize Steyn, and two juniors that have jumped 5’ 11” (1.80m).
In 2007, Bob returned to the United States and has coached 11 Illinois State Champions Megan Weller ( 13’ 1”/ 3.99m), Amy Horvath (5’ 8”/ 1.73m), 3 X Champion Haleigh Knapp (5’ 8”/ 1.73m), 2 X Champion Ali Munson (12’ 9”/ 3.90m), Julia Junkroski (13’ 2”/ 4.02m), Alex Babbington (6’ 10”/ 2.08m), Annika Bynum (5’ 8”/ 1.73m), Brooke Probst (5’ 8”/ 1.73m), and 209 State qualifiers with 135 finalist.
In 2001, Bob changed his 19- year old Vertical Jumps Academy to the Jump High Athletic Club, a pole vaulting and high jump club. For more information see “Club Information”