Ben Niles loves track and field, and his specialty is the pole vault.

But his biggest joy is helping kids reach new heights.

The lifelong Yorkville resident, who did pole vault in high school and later at North Central College and teaches at Oswego East, now is a volunteer track and field assistant at Yorkville High School.

“It is so rewarding when you see the kids make these big strides and big improvements,” Niles said. “That is the cool thing about track and field. It is so measurable. You don’t have to be the best athlete or even a good athlete to see big gains. You see them work hard in practice, and it pays off.”

Teaching and athletics run in the family.

Niles’ mom was a teacher her whole life in Oswego. Niles, who teaches technology, is in his 27th year in the district and has been at Oswego East since the school opened. He started teaching the same year as his wife, Cindy.

Niles’ sister was a volleyball and softball player at Yorkville, his younger brother was a wrestler and pole vaulter who also golfed and played football.

Class of 1995, Niles held Yorkville’s outdoor pole vault record until the school’s current standout Evan Fals broke it.

“I remember going to a track meet, don’t remember if I was in junior high or younger, and at Yorkville High School, in front of the main bleachers was where the pole vault pit was, inside the track on the straightaway,” Niles said. “Sitting in the bleachers, you have the best seat in the house for vault, and Yorkville had some good vaulters. I was really interested in it at the time.”

Niles helped coach track about 15-20 years ago, more on a part-time basis, and is now in his fourth year back coaching.

He works with the sprinters and jumpers during the indoor season, but once the team starts the outdoor season, he works primarily with pole vaulters.

Niles’ contributions are invaluable in a sport that is routinely understaffed and hard to find someone who understands each intricate event.

“We are really lucky to have someone who is willing to put in the time like Ben,” Yorkville athletic director Luke Engelhardt said. “He is someone who is really involved in the athletic department behind the scenes as a hidden glue guy within our program. The pole vault is such a unique part of track. To have a guy that understands the sport, that gets the kids excited, to learn the basics and do it safely and do it well, he just does everything the right way.”

At Oswego East, he mostly teaches woodworking and residential construction.

Niles grew up around the field of work. His dad was a builder who built homes in the area where Niles had a part-time summer job.

“In the construction part, we see a shortage of labor; right now, we don’t have the skilled labor to fill the construction jobs, and they are needed, especially in this area,” Niles said. “It can be a good career, too. We are trying to get kids exposed to what they are all about through a union apprenticeship or on-the-job training.”

Niles appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the community he has called home his entire life.

“If you told me this is what I would be doing, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “I always loved Yorkville. It felt like home. After college, I didn’t have an interest in moving. I had such a good experience growing up. I knew just about everybody, K-12, enjoyed my experience here. I really never considered leaving.”

Ben and Cindy, whether they intended to or not, have passed down a commitment to teaching, coaching and service to their two daughters.

Their oldest, Renee, who just graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in biology, now coaches the sprinters and substitute teaches at Yorkville High School, where she ran track.

Their youngest, Grace, a high school senior at Yorkville, leaves for basic training in the U.S. Air National Guard after graduation. Cindy, a teacher at Prairie Point Elementary, serves one weekend a month with the Air National Guard.

Niles admitted that he had never thought about the different vocations as a common thread of service.

“The Air Force, coaching, teaching, they are things that we enjoy,” Niles said. “I think everybody in our family recognizes how fortunate we are. We have been blessed to have good community members who have supported us. Good parents, school systems that are tremendous.

“We’re thankful for the experiences that we have had growing up,” he said. “I do what I do because I enjoy it. The kids are great, I work with great coaches. It makes it fun.”