In a classroom, the typical college student cringes at the thought of physics. The study of matter, energy and the properties that accompany the two just does not provide the level of excitement preferred by most students. However, when physics involves sprinting at full speed, flipping over a bar and free falling onto a fluffy mat, it does not sound boring at all.

Penn State volunteer coach and kinesiology professor Jim Sullivan has added a scientific element to his polevault training by explaining to his athletes the physics and technique behind the sport, rather than simply telling them to jump as high as possible.

Sullivan brings both a great scientific and athletic background to Penn State's track and field program, with a doctorate in exercise physiology from Southern Illinois University where he was also a pole vaulter.

Current Nittany Lions pole vaulter Kim Peiffer said Sullivan's scientific approach gives the sport a more interesting flair than it did in the past, even though she adamantly hates physics.

"In high school, it was kind of run and jump," Peiffer said. "But here, you know, it's like, 'What goes up must, must come down' ... all the physics and that kind of stuff. I didn't realize how much technique is involved in it and how much it would make sense."

And even though many students struggle in a physics class, Sullivan appears to be getting through to his students on the track. Last year, Penn State's Sara Dougherty earned top honors for the polevault at the Big Ten Championships. More impressive is that Sullivan took Dougherty from a walk-on-caliber athlete to a Big Ten champion in a mere four years.

"Sara had some hidden talent," Sullivan said, adding that she also had the physical characteristics, the height and the potential to enhance her speed and strength to be a great pole-vaulter.

"Mainly what I worked on was getting her a lot more fit and really teaching her how to vault. A lot of technique work," he said.

Now, with Dougherty gone, Sullivan is teaching the same lessons to his current crop of athletes, including Peiffer, a freshman, and Kelly Nesbit, a sophomore.

"I like him a lot," Peiffer said. "He's really teaching me a lot of techniques and a lot of the physics of polevault I didn't really know before."

For Nesbit, Sullivan's approach compensates for a lack of coaching in high school.

"He's a good coach," Nesbit said. "Coach Sullivan offers a lot more technical advice."

So far, Sullivan sees potential in his two young polevaulters and believes that Nesbit actually compares quite favorably to Dougherty.

"She's in a similar situation as Sara," Sullivan said. "She's probably actually had even less of an experience in high school as Sara did. So she's coming in without a lot of vaulter experience, but she's got a lot of physical talent. I think she's got the ability to jump really high."

So far this season, both Nesbit and Peiffer have surpassed the 12-foot mark in the event and usually finish in the top 10 in competition.

Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said one of the reasons Sullivan is able to extract so much from his athletes is his excellent rapport with them.

"His good demeanor really matches the demeanor of a very technical event," Alford-Sullivan said. "It's not, you know, hype, and you know, craziness that it takes. It takes a very persistent and consistent and determined mannerism to get that out of the athletes."

And as long as Sullivan continues to breed success with his physics teachings, the subject does not seem as bad on the track as it does in the classroom.