LA JOLLA - A celebration of life will honor the 19-year-old University of California San Diego pole vaulter who died after missing his landing pad during a training jump.
Leon Roach was practicing at UCSD when he hit his head and immediately became unresponsive, according to the coroner's report.
Roach, a 2008 graduate of Marina High School in Huntington Beach, came from a family where pole vaulting was a tradition, his sister, Christyn Hendrick told the Orange County Register on its Web site.
His father was a pole vaulter in college, and his bother, Curtis Hendrick, participated in the sport at Marina High, his sister told the Register.
During Thursday's practice, Hendrick said most of her brother's body hit the protective padding. Only his head landed on the cement.
"Words cannot begin to express our sorrow," U.C. San Diego officials said in a statement Friday. "Out hearts go out to the family and friends of this remarkable student."
Roach was a sophomore majoring in physiology and neuroscience in Revelle College. He had plans to pursue a career as a neurologist.
The service for Roach will be held Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach.
