As the indoor track season comes to a start, so does the pole vaulting season. Pole vaulting is a great part of the field aspect in track and field, where the athlete uses a long, flexible pole to help launch themselves over a high bar. Sophomore Charlotte Brown is one of the few pole vault athletes at North Atlanta. When she was a freshman, she beat the previous record of 9.7 meters and vaulted 10.1 meters. Brown is the future (and start) of North Atlanta’s pole vaulting and just like every big athlete she had to start somewhere. 

Brown originally got into vaulting in middle school at the Atlanta Girls School. She had previously never heard of the sport and found it because the sports team at AGS needed more pole vaulters, so Brown stepped up to the challenge. “Practice was only five minutes away from my house so I said why not and tried it.” Brown said. 

Brown fell in love with the unique sport of pole vaulting and continued to pursue it for the rest of her middle school days, where she eventually arrived at NAHS. Brown was excited to be at North Atlanta, and was just as excited to join pole vaulting here. However, she arrived to no pole vault program, and had to join a pole vaulting club that competes outside of NAHS. “It’s understandable as vaulting is such an uncommon sport but I was really hoping for something better.” Brown said. 

Brown truly went above and beyond when she broke the pole vaulting record at NAHS and got her personal best during regionals. However, during that very same meet on her last jump, Brown attempted to vault 10.2 meters, which would make it slightly higher than her previous record. Instead of gracefully landing on the mat, she hit the bar on her way back down and was met with a broken ankle. Luckily, this was near the end of the school year. Over the summer, Brown got the chance to heal her ankle without having to deal with stress from school work or the inability to participate in track and field. “My ankle couldn’t have broken at a better time,” Brown said.  

With Brown’s ankle finally getting out of its brace and sports seasons starting anew, she falls back into the habits of going pole vaulting practice and running at track meets all while managing school work at the same time. The future may not be guaranteed but there is no doubt that Charlotte Brown will be known to North Atlanta as a pole vaulting legend.