Erin Silva ’15 has transformed years of honed gymnastic ability into consistent success in the pole vault event. Last weekend at the New England Division III Indoor Championships, Silva vaulted for a new personal best of 3.75 meters—or 12.3 feet—raising the bar on the Bowdoin record she originally set as a first year and has broken many times since. Currently ranked No. 7 nationally, Silva will likely qualify for nationals for the third year in a row. Maintaining her current rank would also earn her a second All-American distinction. Silva began vaulting as a sophomore in high school—convinced by a friend and vaulter—when she grew too tall for gymnastics, a sport that she had been competing in since first grade. She also sprinted in that first year of competing, and her speed on the 100-foot runway eased her transition to vaulting. Her gymnastics background has helped her to gracefully execute the turn during the swing-up phase of the vault. During this phase, the vaulter quickly inverts her body before swinging over the bar. Head Coach Peter Slovenski, a former vaulter himself, said that speed and grace are two of the most difficult things to teach, and the notion that they can be learned at all is up for debate. “Erin is very talented at all three phases of vaulting,” said Slovenski. “She’s one of the five fastest sprinters on our team. She has terrific jumping ability, and she has strong arms and gymnastic ability for the swing-up phase.” The jumping phase involves converting forward momentum into upward momentum once the runner plants the pole in the metal box at the end of the runway. The fiberglass pole then bends dramatically to lift the vaulter up and forward, at which point she must execute the “swing-up” phase. more
