Kurt Riska enters his 15th year coaching pole vault at Smith in 2018 after four years at St. John’s University (MN) and Flight Deck Athletics. Riska also spent three years coaching at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Duluth East High School, and has coached at Mount Holyoke as needed since 2009.
As a pole vaulter at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Riska was a two-time NSIC Conference Champion. After graduation, he pole-vaulted for Altitude with Attitude and Flight Deck Athletics.
Riska graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1998 and holds a USA Track and Field Level 1 Certification.
Off the track, Riska is an avid skateboarder, mountain biker, climber, and hiker. He and his wife, Dr. Karen Riska, are the parents of daughter Lyra Kay Riska.
