Abshire’s mom stunned to hear her son’s state vault record still stands

Rory Abshire’s Class C state pole vault record is safe for another year, bringing joy to his mother, Kathie Abshire.
Rory still holds the Class C pole vault record of 15 feet, set at the Class C state track meet in 1997. The record has been safe for 25 years and looks safe for another few years. This year’s pole vaulters at the Class C state meet vaulted 9 feet.
Rory was a junior and senior at Pecan Island High School when he set the record. He and his teammates would practice in a make-shift pole vaulting pit behind PI. There was no pole vaulting school for high school vaulters to attend back in the 1990s, so everything was self-taught. If Abshire wanted pole vaulting advice, he would travel to Lafayette and talk to the USL pole vaulters or attend their camps.
After a stellar high school career, Rory was given an academic scholarship to USL, where he became a Ragin’ Cajuns pole vaulter.
Unfortunately, his college career did not go as planned. At 19, he was killed due to an accident at USL’s track facility.
Abshire was doing a handstand on a Friday afternoon on the tower’s metal rail and planned to drop onto mats below, according to an Associated Press report. Abshire didn’t let go soon enough, and his back hit the platform, supported by a structure of pipes and angle-irons. He then fell forward into the metal supports, severing an artery near his heart and damaging his liver.
His parents, Ronald and Kathie Abshire, have since moved from Pecan Island and now live in Youngsville.
At Rory’s funeral in Pecan Island almost 24 years ago to the day, Ronald praised his son.
“You do not know how hard that boy tried,” Ronald said at the funeral. “I watched him try so much. He did not want to quit …”
Kathie stayed involved in the track a few years after her son’s death and was able to follow the Class C state track meet results. However, her interest in the state record got smaller as time went forward.
This week, she was happy to hear her son still has the state Class C pole vaulting record.
“I am surprised,” Kathie said. “They still pole vault in Class C?”
They do, and based on the 9 foot vault at state this year, her son’s record will be safe for a few more years.
The Abshire family has not forgotten their son. They see him every day in a urn in their house.
“It is still rough at times,” said Kathie. “For a long time, it was bad for family gatherings. I still think about him.”