Megan Walker was riding by the Port St. Joe track when she first caught a glimpse of the pole vault. The then sixth grader was intrigued at the event. Her mom made a call to the coach and the next day she was out for practice. Walker remembers the first time she ever took to the runway.
"I was a little nervous, but my coach took me through every step doing the most simplest of drills before I even touched the pit. When I was ready to do pit work I knew exactly what I needed to do. It never scared me. I was actually excited after the first time I jumped."
Walker should have been excited for her future in the sport. She took to vaulting naturally and was easily coachable which resulted in early success. In 2007 and 2008 she was the AAU National Champion in her age group. In 2008 she also won the flrunners.com Middle School State Championship with a season best of 7-6. She says her coach instilled confidence in her early on.
"My coach, Keith Chiles, always put big dreams in my head and always told me how great I was. When I won AAU Nationals my first year I realized what I was capable of."
The Port St. Joe senior has improved every year since jumping seven feet. She has a personal best of 12-6 and is not just one of the best pole vaulters in 1A, but one of the top vaulters in the state of Florida. Over her career as a Tiger Shark Walker she has had the opportunity to train with some top notch pole vaulters, including Parker Harris and Brandon Peak on the boys side and Ashleigh Lewis on the girls side. She says besides a great coach, training with such committed athletes made her push harder.
"My teammates were so committed which made me work harder and not want to let them down in meets. Training with Parker, Brandon, and Ashleigh made practice ten times better. We always hung out other than at practice and we got very close. We always pushed each other at practice always trying to help each other out, giving tips, and never being negative."
Her trio of training partners have all graduated leaving Walker the lone vaulter. Workouts start with jogging and stretching and then straight into drills. She believes strong work ethic is the key to being a top notch polevaulter.
"I always love the drills my coach comes up with. He made this levy that we attach to the football goal and we pull ourselves upside down to stimulate the vault. A good pole vaulter is someone who listens to their coach, is very hard working, and committed."
To compete with the best pole vaulters in the nation Walker isn't waiting on outdoor season to roll around. She has plans to compete in some of the top indoor meets in the country including New Balance Indoor Nationals at the Armory, Southzone Indoor meet, and USATF Indoor Nationals. Walker is used to success on the national level, but one thing that has eluded her is a state title.
"Most of the state meets I came so close to winning and this year I am going to work my hardest to do that. I also want to break the state meet record that was set at 12'10 and also the state record that was set at 13'2.
Where she competes collegiately is still up in the air. Walker is contemplating between Mississippi State and North Florida. She plans to sign on February 1st and knows she needs to make a decision quickly. She says the pole vault is her passion and wouldn't change her decision to pick up the sport as a youngster.
"I love the competitions and jitters you get when you are standing on the runway about to jump. I would say it takes a lot of time and practice. It's different from any other sport you do, but you enjoy every bit of it."
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