Indoor Track: Kenwood Vaulting to Success

freshman Kaitlynn Armstrong has bruised her arms, face and legs since kicking off the indoor track season in November.

Armstrong considers those bruises badges of honor, as she became the first female in school history to clear the pole vault in a meet. Prior to , she had several failed attempts.

In those attempts, the pole would often snap back into her face, which led to some embarrassing moments. But as she made her way over the vault, she said all of those previous missteps were worth it.

“I’m going over the vault and I’ve just got a huge smile on my face,” Armstrong said. “Doing the pole vault is not easy and it’s not for everyone. The first time I did it I fell flat on my face.”

Competing in the pole vault is considered so risky that only coaches that are certified can offer the event. Kenwood is one of only about a half dozen schools to offer the pole vault in Baltimore County, said Mark Planamente, the school's track coach.

For Planamente, in his second year at the helm, adding the event was just another part of his strategy to build Kenwood’s track program into a county title contender and attract more athletes to his team.

But just training for the pole vault can be a challenge. It takes 35 minutes to set up all the equipment at Kenwood’s outdoor track and 45 minutes to break it down, which limits the opportunities to practice at the school. Kenwood is often joined by , which also offers the event.

“You really need to be an all-around athlete to do the pole vault,” Planamente said. “On top of that, you need to be very coachable and have a thick skin because it’s not easy to learn and there’s not many chances to learn it before high school.

"When we’re at a meet and they have the pole vault, I tell them to drop their bags and get in as much practice as possible.”

Kenwood has five girls and two boys who do the pole vault, with almost all of them being a freshman or sophomore. Armstrong has experienced the most success in the event, including taking third in a county meet after she cleared six feet en route to leading Kenwood to a second-place finish Jan. 3 in a nine-team meet at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.

But Planamente has also been pleased with the progress of who also cleared 6-foot-6 this season. Freshman Ken Stepp placed fifth on the boys side at the Fifth Regiment Armory on Jan. 3 after he cleared 6-foot-6, too.

“It’s just fun doing the pole vault,” Foster said. “Just wanting to clear the vault that first time provides all the motivation you need to keep trying because once you do it, you want to do it again and again.”