Kenna Stimmel breaks own state pole vault record

Kenna Stimmel didn't know what height she wanted next. As the last pole vaulter standing after already clearing 14 feet, 1.25 inches, it was her choice. But she was unsure, so she gave her father and coach Brian Stimmel the option between 14-4 and 14-6 and told him to tell the official. When Stimmel lined up for her next attempt, she heard the official yell out, "First attempt at 14-4!" It was a good choice — Stimmel cleared the bar on her first try to break her own OHSAA girls pole vault outdoor state record of 14-1. It also set the new meet mark at the Bill Krause Memorial Invitational at Tiffin Columbian, where Stimmel had jumped that 14-1 as a junior. "It felt great," Stimmel said via phone after the meet. "I was really happy with my performance." Here's Kenna Stimmel's 14 feet, 4 inch clearance to break her own OHSAA girls pole vault record ⤵️ @kenna_stimmel15 pic.twitter.com/3fvKEx3nAF — Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) April 23, 2022 It hadn't been a good spring for pole vaulting, which may be more impacted by bad weather than other track and field events. Stimmel had only broken out her full run-up at two meets. At others, she'd had to go with her shortened, five-step approach. Her season best was 13 feet, and after no-heighting on a miserable day outside at Edison a week ago, confidence was wavering for the Virginia Tech-bound, two-time pole vault state champion. "Practicing, I was in a little bit of a slump because the season hadn't been going how I wanted it to," Stimmel said. "Everyone's been telling me that I put too much pressure on myself and just need to have fun... So that's what I did today." Stimmel's coaches have given her a reality check in recent days, she said. They know what she's capable of, and they reminded her just how tough the conditions have been for jumping. So when Stimmel readied herself on the warmest day of the spring, temperature easily above 70 degrees, sky blue and sun shining, things were looking up. "Once I was warming up with the nice weather and poles cooperating how they should, I felt really good in my warmups," Stimmel said. Stimmel had to wait a long time to actually pole vault, though. The meet began with the boys vaulters, and Stimmel doesn't come in right at the start of the girls competition, either. So she completed a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, a first-place finish in the 100 dash (12.21 seconds) and anchored a second-place in the 4x100 relay with Jana Berg, Macyn Phillips and Olivia Saylor. Unlike some meets, though, Stimmel never had to check out and check back in. By the time she returned from the relay, things were just getting started with the first girls pole vaulters. The girls two-mile race was starting on the track by the time Stimmel took her first jump. "I had to wait forever," Stimmel said. Stimmel actually missed at her entry height of 12-6 due to a soft pole, but she didn't miss again all the way up the ladder to the state record. Only when Stimmel tried 14-6 did she fail to make it over the bar. Stimmel's performance helped Margaretta's girls team tie for first place in Tiffin in a meet filled with much larger schools. The Polar Bears finished with the same team points (82) as Toledo Central Catholic. Another Margaretta athlete broke a record Saturday. Junior thrower JT Patrick set the school's new shot put record, breaking his own mark, by throwing 55 feet, 10 inches. He also won the discus at 148-2. His twin, Jenny, won the girls discus at 125-11.