Sophomore pole vaulter Kathryn Thomas jumped to a height of 12”7’ during the Arcadia Invitational.

Although she has encountered discouragement, her friends and coaches have consistently supported her pole vaulting career and goals.

“[The pressure at the Arcadia Invitational] made me do really well,” Thomas said. “There were eight girls over 12”7’, so that was really a competition and it kept pushing me. [I say to myself,] ‘Ok, so she just made that far. I have to too.’”

Within the first few seconds of her jump, all of the techniques and tips she had been taught flooded her thoughts.

“I just moved up to longer poles so that makes me go higher,” Thomas said. “I need to be stronger in my run and I need to have a really strong plant — that’s when you hit the box — and then swing super hard. That’s all that was going through my mind. I didn’t even recognize the height.”

The Arcadia Invitational was the moment that proved her ability to surpass her best, but the real trial was the practice leading up to her victory.

“Pole vaulting is one of the most frustrating sports just because you don’t see a lot of improvement sometimes,” said Pole Vault Coach Mandie Rowell. “Since it is such a technical event, so many little things can go wrong with your jump to make you not clear the bar.”

During her freshman year, Thomas continued to hit the 11”6’ mark for eight meets in a row and couldn’t seem to meet the 12” mark. Just like in any sport, pole vaulters encounter highs and lows, but it’s important to keep working and stay focused.

“Pole vault is one of the sports where you can plateau (not see any improvement) and it’s really frustrating sometimes, but then something always clicks,” Thomas said.

Every little improvement in her vaults is not only an anchievement for her, but also for her coach.

“I have a really good coach here, Mandie, and she’s amazing,” Thomas said. “She gets to me and she’s like, ‘Don’t get frustrated. If you get frustrated, we’ll fix this.’ She understands my mind set when I vault and always knows what to say to help me improve.”

Rowell always tries to keep things fun and light during practice with jokes and little competitions between the pole vaulters.

“It’s a competitive sport, but you also have to love what you’re doing,” Rowell said. “If it becomes not fun, then why would you do it? If you don’t have a good meet, it’s not the end of the world. Just try to get back and practice for the next week and keep working.”

According to Thomas, Rowell always ends practice on a positive note. Positivity is an important factor in success because a limited mindset can be the a major obstacle that prevents an athlete from reaching his or her full potential.

“Practice always ends well for me so I won’t go home discouraged,” Thomas said. “My coach Mandie is very supportive of me and always looks to my best interests as a vaulter and a person.”

Next to her on the track is senior Kaitlyn Merritt, Thomas’s number one supporter since eighth grade. Merritt and Thomas met each other in the Higher Flyers club and have been teammates for the past three years.

“Kate’s super fun, has a really easygoing personality and is super easy to be close with,” Merritt said. “I think we just kind of clicked, and now we’re teammates here. It’s been amazing. Kate definitely has  a lot of success and it’s fun to see her jump really high.”

To Thomas, Merritt has been a great inspiration, both as a person with great character and an athlete who is a national record holder.

“Kaitlyn has really helped me get to where I am now,” Thomas said. “She is super encouraging through how humble she is and how she jumps. She is a very good example of what hard work will accomplish.”

The Pole Pals, as they call themselves, hang out together, both on and off the track.

“In our times together, we’ve had exotic fruit tastings, we’ve hiked some rocks at the beach, and we have done random things together and had a lot of fun,” Merritt said.

Thomas believes that the determined energy exuded by her teammates at practice also motivates her. For Thomas, patience is the most important factor to push through times of doubt and frustration.

“I’m so not a patient person, but I learn from patience,” Thomas said. “It all came through and it was really exciting to [break my personal record there] despite the competitive atmosphere.”