The TAKEOFF Magazine

Pole Vault Carolina

Erin Mink walked into a Beginner’s Clinic at Pole Vault Carolina early in her junior year at Orange High School. A tall gymnast with fantastic tumbling ability, she also has an impressive mark of 5’ in the high jump.

A tumbling routine gone wrong interrupted Erin’s quick progress in the vault. A broken elbow required reconstructive surgery. The return to pole vault was shaky. Erin knew she had the ability, but she was unable to trust herself to reach her potential. Then Covid-19 cancelled high school sports and with her club closed for 2.5 months, Erin had time to reflect and refocus but no place to train.

During the summer and fall of 2020, Erin allowed herself the opportunity to improve. With the support of her family, and a new found drive, Erin started attending practices with greater frequency. She remained coachable, and her progress quickly became apparent.

The statistics do not always tell the true story. At the start of her senior year, Erin’s PR was 8’6”. On October 30, she jumped 9’; on December 18 she jumped 9’6” and on December 30 she cleared 10’6” a 12” improvement from her one week-old best. And, she nearly surpassed 11’.

Erin has done an incredible amount of technical work to generate improvement. But her greatest accomplishment is staying with pole vault long enough for her latent confidence to emerge. Off the runway, you might mistake her for being quiet or shy; but Erin steps on the runway with purpose. It is there that her true nature shines through.

Erin is far from reaching her potential. If she tackles life as she has pole vault, there is no doubt she will make amazing contributions!

Erin Mink