Personal Narrative: Pole-Vaulting In Track And Field

Sky-High

Have you ever felt intimidated by anything? Maybe a public speaking or even a school project? In my case, it was a sport. A sport that wasn’t very popular, I might add. I started pole vaulting in January of 2015 , at first, I approached it warily. It was unusually risky. Merriam-Webster defines pole vault as afield event consisting of a vault for height over a crossbar. Pole vaulting is a part of the field aspect in “Track and Field”, and I became hooked on it. My brother, Nicolas Bernal, encouraged me to try it. I was excited because it could be something that we shared, pole-vaulting. Afterward, I talked to the coach, Coach Sawyer. He informed me that if I wanted to participate, then I needed to get my physical. Promptly, I did

I had gone to practice, and was proud of my determination. That day, it was bitter cold and the players of all the teams were huddled together, shivering. I remember this day so vividly because it was the first time I placed in a competition. The sky was cloudy and you could sense the humidity. The ground was wet from the night before, everyone despised this setting. The booster club had brought Gatorade, water and protein bars for us and placed them in front of the bleachers. Athletes were already warming up, their faces getting red from the cold. Anxiety starts to set in but it feels good. I started killing time and hung out in the restrooms because it was warm in there. It was time. I started getting ready, put on my spikes, and ran two laps around the track. I stretched and was ready. The announcers broadcasted that the pole vaulters needed to get in place and I quickly met up with my team. I took off my sweats and revealed the skin tight uniform underneath. I was organized to be the fifth person to go. When they were ready for me, I started my routine and was impervious. I set a personal record of five feet, six inches. While that might be a small victory to others, I was on top of the world. My next goal was to beat it and eventually I

I had trained so hard and was beyond satisfied of myself. It was April and a humid day. We had left school around two thirty pm. Parkview used rubber for their runway, a factor none of the pole vaulters liked .As we waited, the players slept, listened to music, or ate snacks. Finally, when it was time to compete, I went first. My impetus to get it right was to beat my previous record. I calculated my steps and began sprinting. I assessed the moment to jump and swung my lags over my head. I flipped my body over the bar and pushed the pole far out. I accomplished it, I had beaten my record. I heard my coach and teammates clapping and sensed myself blushing. My brother ran up to me and told me how proud he was. Pole vaulting may be a young sport, but people who are educated about it, quickly grow fond of