Running up to a pit about to attempt a 10’8″ jump. Being confident enough that I’m able to jump this height with ease since I’ve cleared heights higher than this before. My pole landed in the box of the pit and I felt myself get launched up in the air towards the bar. Then I just stop, suspended in the air unaware of what happened. As I fall back on the runway, I panic as my feet strike the ground with a hard thud. This was me during last year’s OK Red Conference. I had been on the wrong pole and was not bending the pole when this happened. Finding the right pole was one of my struggles from last season, but I wasn’t the only one who had these types of struggles. Some of my other teammates had struggles in vaulting that I had never thought of.

   Pole vault is a field event in track and field where athletes compete against each other and use poles to fling themselves up to get over a bar. At West Ottawa, we’ve had a fair share of successful pole vaulters. Although these vaulters may have been great at what they do, it wasn’t a smooth road to get there. These vaulters had to face many challenges; for each vaulter, came a different challenge. One of the main challenges that most pole vaulters face is getting on bigger poles. Getting on a bigger pole will allow you to go up higher but at the same time you have to progress up to bigger poles which take time. Being a pole vaulter myself, I’ve had first-hand experience with some of these challenges. I have taken the time to know what other pole vaulters have faced in their pole vaulting careers.

   Last year’s Sr. Natalie Blake is our school record holder with a vault of 13 feet and 3.25 inches. Regardless of her current achievements in pole vaulting, it wasn’t easy for her to get where she is now. During her last season, Blake was stuck at 12′ 8 and was still recovering from a back injury. She became focused on healing herself, even if it meant that she wouldn’t be jumping as high during competitions. This resulted in her going to regionals and breaking that 13-foot mark, beating her old personal record.  

   “I dealt with a back injury that really impacted me at the indoor state meet and kept me from competing at indoor nationals. I decided to focus on rehabilitation and basic strength and mobility, and even though it stopped me from vaulting high for a couple of months, in the end, healing my back let me jump higher than I ever have and I had a great end to my senior outdoor season,” Blake said.

  Our second Senior girl vaulter from last year was Kayla Hintz, who completed her season with a vault of 11 feet and 9 inches. Throughout last season, she struggled to get progress back from her vaults after she suffered from a back injury. This stopped her from practicing and doing basic vault workouts. Even after her back healed enough to go back to the vault, it was a challenge to get on bigger poles for her. 

   “Getting on a bigger pole and getting rejected onto the runway was definitely one of my struggles throughout last season. I haven’t quite overcome that yet but I work through my fear of moving up poles in very small increments.”

  Our only Senior male vaulter from last year, Brady Shoemaker, was a surprise when he joined the pole vault team in late November last year. With no experience in vaulting and a minuscule amount of time to prepare for the outdoor season, Shoemaker was still able to go to regionals and jump 11 feet and 9 inches placing him in 6th place. Similar to Blake and Hintz, Shoemaker did not have an easy or smooth road.

   “I kept trying to work through my injuries and force progress which wasn’t productive at all, the only way I started to progress again was when I started doing less and gave myself the proper time to rest during the season,” said Shoemaker. 

When Grandville went to West Ottawa for a dual meet, Shoemaker had been struggling to get back progress that he had lost. Shoemaker had started to take his rest days more seriously. This allowed him to regain that lost progress and more. With Shoemaker’s progress back, he made a big leap at the OK Red Conference Championship jumping an 11 ‘8 jump, placing him a spot to go to regionals for pole vault. He would then jump even higher at regionals by jumping 11 ‘9.

   Even though these three vaulters had to fight through different challenges, they all came on top in the end. Each one making their own achievements throughout their journey as a pole vaulter.