Stimmel to represent U.S. at Pan American Games

CASTALIA — For Kenna Stimmel, this is the fun part. The stress comes in the meet before the big one, when qualification to a desired stage is on the line. Once she reaches a given peak — state, or NCAA nationals or, in this case, the under-20 Pan American Games — she can let her ability take over. "This meet coming up, I feel like I'll be a little more relaxed because I'm already there," Stimmel said. "I'll just have to do what I've done thousands of times." Stimmel, the Margaretta graduate and Virginia Tech pole vaulter, will wear a United States uniform for the first time at the U20 Pan Am Games. Competition takes place the first week of August in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. "Obviously I've dreamed of competing for the U.S., and this is my first time and the first step to the higher meets," Stimmel said. "It's really fun, and kind of like a surreal feeling." Qualification was a close call for Stimmel. The top-two finishers at the U.S. Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, would earn berths to the Pan Am Games. Stimmel cleared the same height, 13 feet, 9 inches, as two other athletes, but Stimmel had the most misses, meaning she fell to third on the tiebreaker. But there was hope — a passport is needed to go through USA Track & Field processing, and one of the finishers above Stimmel didn't have one. Stimmel had gotten hers about a year ago, knowing such events might be on the horizon. "When I was out there, I was definitely upset with how I performed," she said. "I had a bunch of other meets this season that I performed a lot better at. Having that be one of the bigger meets of the season and not performing well, I was obviously upset with my performance. I did see a glimpse of hope when I heard her mention that she didn't have a passport." Stimmel got her final confirmation of making the team in a phone call from Hokies coach Bob Phillips on July 11 as she drove home for a couple weeks back in Ohio. "I had very high hopes that I was going," she said, "but still having it confirmed made me very happy that I actually do get to represent Team USA in the championships." The spot on this U.S. team was the culmination Stimmel wanted for her freshman year. She reached the All-American podium twice for Virginia Tech, placing fourth at indoor nationals and eighth at outdoor nationals. Stimmel was the only freshman to qualify for the outdoor national meet in Texas. "It was hot, sticky, muggy the whole time we were down there," she said. "It was really fun. I like jumping down in Texas." It wasn't an easy spring season for Stimmel, though, whose confidence waned beginning in mid-April and hasn't fully returned. She's using a 12-step run-up instead of her standard 14. "That's definitely hard to overcome right now," Stimmel said. "... We're kind of just tuning in there." Stimmel and the legendary coach Phillips will work more in the fall on getting her back in top form. For now, the concern is going to Puerto Rico and performing to the best of her ability. "We do believe that I could actually PR from this (shorter) run," Stimmel said. "One thing that I struggle with is, in practice, I do everything that I have been working on and need to do to jump higher. In meets, I tend to revert back to my old form. I need to be able to, once a bar goes up, transfer that form into a meet." Stimmel has never been outside the country. Pole vault has taken her to Oregon, California and Texas, but Puerto Rico will be a new experience. The hope, of course, is that this is the first but not the last time Stimmel represents the U.S. in international competition. "Just being able to represent Team USA has definitely been a dream of mine," she said. "This is one of the first steps toward the higher-up competitions." Stimmel's next goal beyond collegiate competition is to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials next spring. To make the Trials, a pole vaulter has to clear a certain standard height that is determined based upon the entire pool's performance in the lead-up to the competition. "Obviously, having a chance to go to the Olympics next year is a very high goal," Stimmel said. "You still want to dream for those giant goals, but that one may be a little bit out of reach for this next year. Definitely just getting to trials, that would be a good experience to have. If I can have an experience at trials when I'm still only a sophomore in college, that would give me a step up if I do make it to the next Olympic Trials." Each part of the journey is special in its own way, and the U-20 Pan Am Games is just the latest place Stimmel will go with a trusty pole in her hand. It won't be the last. "Just having the opportunity to compete at the national championships was a really good opportunity," Stimmel said, "but I knew I had a good chance to make this team. That was definitely the end goal for the season, just to have one final meet."