'Loose screw' a plus for 2-time Lakeville vault champ

QUICK Q&A: LEE BARES, LAKEVILLE SOUTH

Bares just completed his junior year by winning the pole vault competition at the Class 2A track and field meet for the second consecutive year. Here is a closer look at Bares:

The best movie I've seen in the past year? "Avengers."

Three songs I never skip on my iPod are ... "Mean" by Taylor Swift; "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band; "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada.

Three words or phrases my friends or teammates might use to describe me? Enthusiastic; leader; role model.

How did you get started pole vaulting? Mr. [Chris] Rousemiller explained to me in middle school that I am built for pole vaulting. He said, "Lee, you are strong, you are fast, and you have a screw loose. I think you will be a great vaulter."

At my first varsity practice, I felt ... nervous and unsure if I could do it. I just took up the sport a few months before practice started and I had no idea how I would do. I ended up winning state!

To get focused for competition, I ... eat a Salted Nut Roll and look for good jokes to calm me down.

Who is your favorite college or pro sports team and why?

United States Military Academy at West Point. It has been my dream to be a pole vaulter for their team ever since I joined track and field.

Do you have a secret talent -- and if so, what is it? I can make a three-leaf clover with my tongue.

What is the best sports advice you ever received? "It's not about what people say can't happen, it's about what's possible. Anything can happen."