The Chandler High School girls pole vault record was 10 feet even, set by Kallie Jo Petrie in 2000, the first year Oklahoma girls could compete in the sport.
But on Friday, there was freshman Adelaide Furtado, looking to break it at the Hennessey track meet.
Her first try - scratch. Second try - scratch. “It was really windy that day so I was thinking, ‘well, if I don’t get it today I’m going to it at another meet,” Adelaide said. “So I was just trying to get it over with so I could see if I got it.”
Before the third try, Petrie - now a Chandler track coach - gave her some tips.
“After her first two when she scratched and scratched, I was like ‘fix this, fix that,” Petrie said. “Just talking to her about her upper body. She just needed to move her upper body a little bit differently.”
On the third try, she made it, putting her name in the school record book in just her second high school outdoor meet.
“It was not by a lot,” Adelaide said. “The bar wiggled a bit, but it was one my better jumps of the day.”
Petrie - now the former school record holder - said it was an awesome experience to see her padawan break her record.
“I knew it was coming and I’ve been waiting for it to happen for a long time,” Petrie said.
“I just cheered for her and helped.
“I gave her a big hug and kissed her on top of her forehead and said it couldn’t happen to a better kid.”
Now, with the school record under her belt, what’s next?
“This year, I’m hoping for 11,” Adelaide said. “And if I can figure some stuff out, I’ll definitely get it.
“I think I’ll need to learn how to invert a little better and turn into my pole. Once I figure that out, I should be just fine.”
Adelaide started pole vaulting in seventh grade and was attracted to the event, she says, because it allowed her to use skills she learned training for Ninja events, which involves conquering obstacle courses as on the American Ninja Warrior television program.
“I know a lot of Ninjas who also do pole vaulting,” Adelaide said. “It’s a lot of the same muscle technique and body movement required, so I caught on pretty fast.”
For Petrie, she says the future for Adelaide is bright.
“She’s not afraid of anything,” she said. “She’s a tough kid and I love her to death.
“She has a lot left in her. She’ll break more records than mine, I promise.”
In addition to Adelaide winning her event at Hennessey, Lincoln County athletes brought home five other first-place finishes.
- Multi-time state champion Peyton Davis from Stroud won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.11 seconds.
- Defending stat champion Sophie Young from Stroud won the high jump with a height of 5 feet.
- Aubree Ackerman from Stroud won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.40 - Davis and Ackerman, teamed with Kadrian Brown and Olivia Stanger to win the relay with a time of 1:51.36 - Defending state champion Aiden Collins from Stroud won the boys long jump with a distance of 22-02.5 At the Shawnee meet on Thursday, the Prague girls brought home four firstplace finishes and took second as a team.
- Harley Johnson won the 800 meters and 1600 meters with times of 2:29.60 and 5:52.52, respectively.
- Jaxi Friend won the 400 meters with a time of 1:06.33.
- Jocelyn Ward, Harley Johnson, Hanna Rolette, and Hailey Johnson won the 4x800 relay with a time of 10:19.65 Results Hennessey Track Meet Girls 4x100 Relay 4th, Chandler (Brooklyn Hammons, Skye Buchanan, Hope Crews, Adelaide Furtado),54.68 6th, Stroud (Lacy Williams, Olivia Stanger, Sophie Young Kadrian Brown)56.12 Boys 4x100 Relay
8th, Stroud (Jacob Beck, Trystan Baker, Aiden Collins, Gideon Smalley), 46.35 Girls 4x800 Relay
7th, Chandler (Madelyn Bridge, Blaklei Smith, Kinzey Wilkerson, Lexi Ledford) 11:41.24 8th, Stroud (JaeLynn Ashpaugh, Javira Tilton, Laney Manion, Jordyn Neeley), 12:05.77 Boys 4x800 Relay 5th, McLoud, 9:14.78 8th, Chandler, 9:32.81 Girls 100M Hurdles 1st, Peyton Davis, Stroud 15.11 3rd, Aubree Ackerman, Stroud 17.14 9th, Elli Hilgenfeld, Chandler 19.01 Boys 110M Hurdles 2nd. Jacob Beck, Stroud 15.92 16th, Malaki Heath, McLoud 21.69 Boys 3200 Meters
2nd, Ryan Copeland, McLoud 10:43.00 5th, Boyd Hamby, McLoud 11:07.15 8th, Zane Roughley, McLoud 11:29.35 17th, Kendall Shawnee, McLoud 12:38.49 20th, Ryan Cole, McLoud 13:05.22 24th, Jaymin Aspaugh, Stroud 13:37.06 Girls Relay
1st, Stroud (Aubree Ackerman, Kadrian Brown, Olivia Stanger, Peyton Davis) 1:51.36 4th, Chandler (Lexi Martzall, Brooklyn Hammons, Skye Buchanan, Hope Crews) 1:55.24 Girls 800 Meters
7th, Jordyn Neeley, Stroud 2:48.43 8th, Ella Crouch, McLoud 2:48.44 11th, Laney Manion, Stroud 2:52.72