Nikki Vandevelde: "I Want To Jump Higher And Farther Than Ever Before"

At the start of her track and field career, Nikki Vandervelde was a social runner. She got started in the sport during her eighth grade year as a way to spend time with friends. When her current coach at Episcopal, Pat Crandall, noticed her long strides when she would run sprints, she says track and field became competitive.

 

"He had me try triple jump and hurdles my freshman year. Then during my sophomore year, he added pole vaulting, and junior year the long jump."

 

Vandervelde, who is also a gymnast, uses her strength and mobility to be a quadruple threat on the track and in the field. At the 2A outdoor state championship was fourth in the triple jump and third in the pole vault. She says of all the events it is the pole vault that is her favorite.

 

"My first memories of pole vaulting were how fun and unique the event was compared to other track events. Even though it can be the most frustrating, it's definitely the most fun and exhilarating of the events I do."

 

The senior is already off to a positive start in 2014. She competed in the Jimmy Carnes Indoor meet at the University of Florida where she finished third with a vault of  11-6 which was tied for a personal best at the time.  A week later the Embry Riddle Indoor/Outdoor Challenge set a new best of 12-0.5 on her second attempt. She says only participating in one event allowed her to focus solely on the task at hand.

 

"I just focused on maintaining the same accelerated run down the runway that I had done well on my previous jumps. I focused on not changing anything drastic to my vault just because the bar had moved up to higher height."

 

That mark would have been the top in 2A for the 2013 season. It is a vast improvement from the 10-6 her first year. She has improved every year since going one foot higher as a junior and then to where she is at today. She says it is all due to her training and coaches Daisy Glasser and Ira Wellborn.

 

"Both of them have such a keen eye to for what needs to be fixed and are able to give me the appropriate drills to improve the areas that I need it most.  All the work that we put in is definitely noticeable now that I've been able to apply them in a competition atmosphere. "My goal for this season is the same as every season, put in the hard work to jump higher and farther than I have before!"

Vandervelde has committed to the University of Florida where she will join Bolles' vaulter and training partner Harry Glasser.