If Vince Bingham’s sport was boxing, he’d be among the best “corner men.”
But Bingham, 61, of Festus, has made his name in track and field. The longtime coach of the Jefferson County Jets summer track club has been in the corner for countless athletes, some local, others from far away, all eager to soak up his coaching wisdom.
Among the preparations St. Louis pole vaulter Mason Meinershagen made after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials last month in Eugene, Ore., was to make sure Bingham knew she wanted him there at Hayward Field, at the University of Oregon, as she attempts to qualify for the U.S. team that will compete later this month at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
“When I look into the crowd and see him and my parents, it will calm my nerves,” Meinershagen said.
A 2023 graduate of Oakville, Meinershagen just concluded her freshman year at Kansas University in Lawrence. She first met Bingham when she joined the Jets, the local AAU club that’s trained scores of high school and collegiate athletes, including two-time Olympian Brittany Borman of Festus (javelin).
“He’s been a big part in believing in me and inspired me to do other events,” Meinershagen said. “I started out with the pole vault and he’s been there every step of the way and I’m really grateful and excited knowing he’s going to be there to watch me compete. It’s nice to get a call or text after meets saying he’s proud of me.”
At the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene June 5-8, Meinershagen finished 16th in the pole vault at 4.15 meters (13 feet, 7 1/4 inches), earning second-team All-American honors as well as a spot at the Olympic Trials. The qualifying round for the vault at the Trials was set for June 28, after the Leader’s early holiday deadline, with the finals slated for June 30.
Meinershagen seeks the rarefied air of world-class performers. The world record of 5.06 meters (just over 16 feet, 6 inches) by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva has stood since 2009. Sandi Morris set the American record of 5.00 in 2016. Meinershagen set her personal record of 4.45 (14-7.25) at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in February.
“I’m really excited,” Meinershagen said. “I had my last practice (June 25) before I left (for the trials) and I’m feeling great. I am so grateful for this and am soaking it up. I’m a freshman this year and it’s crazy to think I’m competing with these veterans.
“Honestly, it comes down to that day. There are semifinals and finals. I’m not sure what it’s going to take in the first rounds, but my goal is to make it to the finals.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for Bingham and his friend, Lorenzo Macon, to travel to Oregon. Suffering from Type 2 diabetes, Bingham is confined to a wheelchair. The disease he said he’s had most of his life has forced the amputation of his toes and a finger.
His eyesight also is compromised, but he doesn’t miss a thing when watching his athletes compete. He endured four days of scorching temperatures two weeks ago to attend the AAU Regionals at Hillsboro. His next protege is Jahmeshia Patterson, a sophomore-to-be from Festus who ran the anchor leg on the Tigers’ Class 4 state-champion 4x100-meter relay and won state medals in three other events in late May.
Also suffering from congestive heart failure, two years ago Bingham was in a nursing home, seemingly on his death bed. He was asked to sign paperwork for admission to hospice care.
“I was in and out,” he said. “I was dreaming I was in Kansas. I was on so much pain medicine. They were getting me comfortable to die. My heart was working at 35 percent.”
Dozens of people visited Bingham to say their goodbyes. But with the help of his caregivers, he slowly began walking farther and farther from his hospital bed. A month later, he walked out of the nursing home.
“I have all of these people who care for me,” he said. “The one thing that keeps me going is (coaching). When I don’t have track in the fall and winter, I have to take pills.”
Bingham said his role with Meinershagen is to be a calming presence. She called on Fathers’ Day to invite him to join her at the Trials.
“I called her back thinking she needed me to calm her down,” Bingham said. “She said, ‘Coach, are you sitting down? I’ve got good news. I just got the call that I qualified for the Olympic Trials.’ I immediately cried tears of joy. I’m crying right now.
“She said, ‘Coach, I really want you to be there.’ I told her I’d try my best. I’d love to watch her walk onto Hayward Field to try (for) the U.S. Olympic team.”
And that’s exactly what he’s doing.
The two might not have met if not for the COVID pandemic of 2020. Because of local restrictions, the Jets couldn’t train in Jefferson County or St. Louis County, so they took a group of athletes (including Hillsboro sibling standouts Maya and Sam Wright) to Franklin County. At that time, Bingham received a call from Mason Meinershagen’s dad. She was training with the Blues, a rival summer track club from St. Louis, but left there to join the Jets.
“(Her dad) wanted her to learn all of the events, how to use the blocks, hurdles,” Bingham said.
Even the late, great Clark Wille got involved. The hall of fame local prep and collegiate coach watched her high jump once and immediately saw her potential. In 2023, Meinershagen won the Class 5 state titles in the high jump (1.70) and pole vault (3.66) after finishing second in both as a junior.
The scholarship offers poured in from all over the country.
“I was a gymnast since I was 2, and I got too tall for that and the high bars weren’t working well,” Meinershagen said. “I found a camp one summer and beginners could go and I fell in love with (track and field). I did soccer and diving too.
“I love floating up there (at the vault bar) and going upside down because it’s in my nature.”
And when the pressure mounts, she can find Bingham smiling back at her.
“He’s an overall amazing person and you can tell how much he loves track and field and all of his athletes,” she said. “He puts in so much effort to be great. I haven’t met anyone as selfless as him. He’s just a character and I am lucky to have him in my life.”