Jumping above and beyond

Last event, pitch black night, friends crowding around… This was the experience of now-senior Emily Pearson when she was about to break the school record in pole vaulting during her junior season, for the second time. Pearson broke the record by an inch at the end of her sophomore season making her obtain the school record. During her junior season, she broke her own record by a foot.

The question is: will she break it again her senior year?

“It was so dark because the school did not install lights where the pole vault pit is so my coach had to put a flashlight in the box so I knew where to put my pole,” Pearson said. “My coach did not tell me it was the record, he quietly set it up and told me to jump, so I did, turns out that was the school record that I now hold.”

One of the highest vaulters for the past few years was Sarah Longtin, who jumped 9’7″. Emily now has the record with an astounding 11’1. This just shows how dedicated and talented this athlete is with her pole vaulting.

There is never an off-season for Emily; she has been to many camps to improve her skill. This past summer she attended the beach vault in Michigan with her coach and many other vaulters. She had a great time and got to show off her skills and got to admire and be admired by other athletes who share the same interest in pole vaulting.

Pearson also goes to many meets in the summer, including the USATF meet in the cities which allows her to compete in the off-season. Although this is her last season of high school track, she is not done yet. Pearson will be attending Bethel University, where she will be a part of the track team. She is excited that she will be learning more about the sport and furthering her track career.