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Lexi Weeks national record 14-7.50 Pole Vault - DyeStat

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DyeStat.com   Jul 6th 2015, 8:01pm
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Lexi Weeks takes it up a notch for girls vault

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

 

Lexi Weeks put an exclamation on her high school season -- as well as that of her sister, Tori -- but vaulting over 14-7.50 on Saturday at the Arkansas Vault Club.

 

The sisters from Cabot AR will go into the record books holding the indoor (Tori at 14-4) outdoor national marks. 

 

The time to cherish that achievement is now. The sisters will enroll in Arkansas in the fall and instantly become two of the best college vaulters in the country. But their high school records will surely  be challenged.

 

At the rate pole vault records are falling, especially on the girls side, it is hard to imagine any record lasting for long. It was less than a year ago that Desiree Freier of Texas made the bar at 14-7.25 at the World Junior Championships. Freier broke the 2011 record of Morgann Leleux, who went 14-2.75. 

 

"I don't know if it will take a few years," Lexi Weeks said Monday. "(The record) is up there. I still think (it could be broken) pretty soon. Girls are getting so much better and there are more and more of them going higher."

 

In 2014, Lexi and Tori Weeks were in a class by themselves. Tori came on late in the season and won the Great Southwest and New Balance Nationals Outdoor titles. Lexi, who set her first national record in the indoor season only to see Tori later top it, got the final word.

 

The Freedom Vault Meet, organized by coach Morry Sanders and set up outside the vault facility where the Weeks' train, was there to give the sisters one more crack at the record. 

 

And while Tori and an unlucky day and no-heighted, Lexi was able to seize on the opportunity. After clearing 14-7.50 without touching the bar, she took a couple of tries at 15-0.25. 

 

Fifteen feet may become the new frontier for high school girls vaulting. 

 

The example set by the Weeks sisters is that versatility and strength pay can pay dividends. While Freier was only focused on the pole vault, the Weeks sisters approached track and field as if they were heptathletes. They jumped, hurdled, ran on relays, and practiced the pole vault once a week.

 

"A lot of girls come out of a gymanstics background, which means they've learned about core body strength early on," Lexi said.

 

The Weeks brought that skill and experience to the table as well. But they also applied 400-meter workouts and weight room workouts. They worked on speed and quickness as well as upper body strength. 

 

Lexi stands 5-foot-5 1/2 and Tori is a bit taller at 5-6. Lexi was holding at 13-7 or 13-8 on a 14-foot 3-inch pole, she said.

 

"My first attempt (at the record) was not very good," Lexi said. "I told myself 'You have to do it on this (second) attempt. It was weird because on PR jumps I usually touch the bar but this time I didn't. That was exciting. I was in shock, honestly."

 

In addition to Arkansas, new state records in girls pole vault were set in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Utah and Washington. 

 

The rapid growth still has something to do with the evolution of the sport and access. High school girls only began vaulting about 20 years ago and there are still a couple of states, Alaska and Iowa, that still don't offer it. 

 

Lexi Weeks cleared 14-0 as a junior, while Tori's best in 2014 was 13-2.

 

Of the 11 girls that have cleared 13-6 or better this season, two are juniors (Laura Marty and Abby Weiler from Washington) and two more are sophomores (Carson Dingler of Georgia and Colleen Clancy from Texas).

 

More likely than not, the bars are going to keep going higher.



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