Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Ashley Nace
More than the meters, more than the records, more than a name to remember.
Susquehanna University pole vault freshman, Kendall Simms, has been steadily climbing the ladder of success, breaking the school’s pole vault record for the first time on Jan. 24 at the Houghton Highlander Invite with a 3.42m vault.
Simms went on to break her own record five more times in the final five indoor track meets of the season, with her final vault of 3.82m in the Landmark Conference Championship securing her spot as the third best all-time vault in the conference.
Her incredible indoor season is a result of her individual hard work, but more than that, it is a testimony to the power of a supportive community.
“My high school team was not very supportive with, like, to anyone,” Simms said. “And then when I got here, my first meet, I was actually stressed out, because we actually had a supportive team, and I wasn’t used to people watching me and people cheering.”
Simms attended Montoursville High School, where she first started pole vaulting as a freshman. She said that her background in gymnastics, which her parents put her in at six years old, helped her with vaulting mechanics.
Throughout her high school career, Simms made it to the state championship three consecutive times, from sophomore to senior year, placing seventh as a sophomore and fifth as a senior year.
In her senior year state trip, Simms vaulted 11 feet, or 3.35m. On Feb. 28, competing in the Landmark Conference Championship, she finished in first with her PR vault of 3.82m.
“I came into Landmarks seeded first, and I was never close to being first at states so, I was just a lot more confident vaulting here at Landmarks knowing that I had such a big gap between me and the girl that was seeded second,” Simms explained.
Simms improved her vaulting height by 0.47m from states to Landmarks, only a nine-month difference.
While she has a much larger support group now, that’s not to say the River Hawk never had anybody in her corner before.
“She was a good vaulter from her sophomore year on,” Chad Ebernhart, Simms high school pole vaulting coach said. “She always was striving to do better.”
Ebernhart and Simms had a very good relationship. Ebernhart attributes it to their similar personalities, both being very quiet but effective communicators, and the close friendship that Simms had with his daughter on the track team.
Simms said that as a coach, Ebernhart always wanted to see her get better, a notion that was evident as he convinced the Bucknell University coaches to open their facilities up for her to train her junior year of high school.
But Ebernhart couldn’t help pointing out how much of a hard worker Simms was.
The young athlete took great pride in her vaulting, living by the quote, “Don’t wish for it, work for it,” which became implemented into the informal list of rules for the high school vault group, he said.
Simms had a different take on it though.
“I’m just an extremely competitive person and I don’t want to lose,” said Simms. “I don’t want to get heights that are below my PR.”
For Simms, it’s not about beating the vaulters around her; it’s about beating her previous vaults. However, her competitors still matter when it comes to pushing herself.
When discussing her experience at the All-Atlantic Regional Track and Field Conference Championships, she said, “Having the other girls there to help push me, and jump higher was honestly what I needed.”
She said it helped her pursue higher heights, because others around her were vaulting at similar heights.
Competitive spirit isn’t the only driving force inside her. Born with a birth defect, Simms underwent a few major surgeries, one being at seven years old that left her unable to walk for a month.
“Ever since then like, I’ve tried to build myself every day because I never want to feel as weak as I was back then,” she said.
Her determination for strength has paved the path to where she is now, a rising Susquehanna University household name with well-deserved support.
Though she is no longer in high school, Ebernhart and his daughter still support her vaulting journey, as they attended her first collegiate meet.
“It was nice to just see them here still supporting me even though he’s not my coach,” she explained.
Simms parents also play a large role when it comes to her support.
Throughout high school and college, her parents went to every meet, home, and away.
“My sophomore year I practiced at a club in Harrisburg and they drove me all the way there, which is like, an hour and a half away from me,” she said.
Though Simms is always looking to beat her own records, her parents aren’t searching for that.
“It’s nice just like having the support system and knowing that they’re always there and always want me to do well, but they also aren’t like expecting anything great of me,” she said. “They just like to see me succeed and happy.”
Her high school career may not have been filled with loud crowds and praising voices, but her cheering section can’t go unnoticed now. And her scores prove it. Though her wishes may be few, her work is hard to miss. She doesn’t wish for anything; she works for it.
Kendall Simms will be a vaulter to beat as the outdoor season begins, and she seeks to pen her name on the line of more broken records in the books.