As a little girl, Alex Howell dreamed of becoming an Olympic gymnast, but in her freshman year at Westminster she decided to take on a new high-flying sport, pole vault. Two weeks ago at the Frostbite Invitational, she vaulted a school-record 11 feet, 1 inch. That height would have won the state title in three of four classifications last winter. At the Frostbite meet, the junior also set a school long jump record of 14 feet, 4 inches to finish seventh and matched her personal best in the 55-meter dash. Howell, who has a 3.89 weighted GPA, wants to pole vault in college. She has qualified for the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet March 14-16 at The Armory in New York City. Howell, who has a 3.89 weighted GPA, wants to pole vault in college. She has qualified for the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet March 14-16 at The Armory in New York City.
How did you start pole vaulting?
I used to do gymnastics and my coach Cathy Phillips, when I was thinking about quitting gymnastics, recommended that I should try pole vault.
What intrigued you about trying it?
I was running track at the time, and a lot of gymnasts when they quit, they get into pole vaulting. It takes a lot of upper body strength, and that’s the same thing with gymnastics.
Why did you quit gymnastics?
It was just getting to be too much. It was 20 hours a week, and that was a lot with school. And I had injured my knee in gymnastics, and I didn’t want that to happen again. I wanted to try something new.
What happened?
I was doing a skill on floor. It’s like a back flip where you do a full twist, and I dislocated my knee cap. I had to be on crutches for a while, and I did not like that at all.
What do you enjoy most about pole vaulting?
It’s just a lot of fun flying through the air.
Why did you decide to run track as a freshman?
During middle school when we’d have the races in gym class, I liked doing that because I was one of the faster kids, and I wanted to try track because some of my friends are doing it. Then I saw pole vault, and I was like, “Oh, wow. That looks like a lot of fun.”
What’s your goal for this season?
My goal was 11 feet, so now that I’ve reached that, it’s 11-6.
What do you have to do to get better in this sport?
It’s just a lot of practice and upper body strength.
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bs-va-sp-profile-0110-20140109,0,5967113.story#ixzz2pwxjUBq5
