At 5-2, Pasqualetti Uses Speed And Strength To Soar

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

On most nights Leah Pasqualetti falls asleep dreaming about the pole vault.

“It’s my life. It’s everything I think about,” she said. “That’s how my passion feels.”

As crazy as it sounds, that’s the high level of devotion Pasqualetti, a senior from Orchard Park High NY, has developed for the sport of pole vaulting.

“She’s probably the most intrinsically driven athlete I’ve ever coached,” her coach Mike Auble said.

Standing at 5 feet, 2 inches, with her soft-spoken, but sweet and sincere mannerisms, and remarkable skill set of speed and strength, Pasqualetti has quietly evolved into the best high school girls pole vaulter in New York state history, and one of the best in the country.

SATURDAY'S NYRR MILLROSE GAMES VIEWING INFO

She cleared 14 feet, 3 inches (4.34m) on Feb. 1 at Houghton College, to break the New York State indoor pole vault record of 14-2 (4.31m) held by Lancaster High’s Mary Saxer from 2005. Auble likes to refer to Pasqualetti as the “Silent Assassin.”

VIDEO OF RECORD JUMP

“She’s got this squeaky little Minnie Mouse voice, but she’s so focused,” Auble said. “If you jump 12 feet, she wants to jump 12-1. She’ll be the first person to congratulate you for jumping 12 feet, but she wants to do better.”

Her height vaulted her to a US#1, No. 5 all-time indoor prep mark and currently the top U-20 mark in the world. This Thursday, she’ll compete at the Armory New Balance Track and Field Center in the 113th NYRR Millrose Games in the Flying Circus Junior Girls Pole Vault.

“First and foremost, I’m excited to be at the Armory,” Pasqualetti said. “From this point on, it’s really just having fun and taking in the memories, and the moments. The bar height, that’s not what’s going to matter the most. What’s going to matter the most is the improvements, the little things.”

Auble describes Pasqualetti as the most outstanding young person he’s ever met. Vaulting since she was 13, Pasqualetti joined the Warsaw Pole Vault Club (known as PVP) the summer of her eighth grade year.

Located in Wyoming County, about an hour or so from Buffalo, Auble and his wife, Lynn, turned their property into a playground for pole vaulters. The Auble’s backyard features two runways for vaulting, while their garage behind their home is affectionately known as the “Track Shack.”

An official USA Track and Field club, the space is where many aspiring student-athletes train using a variety of apparatus equipment and other tools to help with the finer details of the sport. While Pasqualetti still trains most of the week with her high school, Auble has slowly taken over as her full-time coach throughout her high school years. A few times a week she drives the 45 minutes to Warsaw to practice at PVP.

“She was a very good athlete that had a lot of success, but I had to ask her to take a step back and not jump as high so she could learn,” Auble said. “God bless her, she did, and it’s paid off.”

In Auble’s system, the spotlight isn’t on the numbers, rather the relationships. Height is rarely discussed and he doesn’t stress the crossbar with his athletes.

“We focus more on our relationship with the pole vault and how she’s moving,” Auble said. “It’s a lot about energy flow. Leah does an amazing job at moving the pole. Everybody that watches her says, ‘I love her takeoff.’ She’s very strong, she’s very fast, and confident in moving the pole.”

For Pasqualetti, the relationships – with her teammates, Auble and his wife – have been the biggest asset to her climb to the top.

“Success never happens in isolation. You really need people to be in your corner for you,” she said. “My coach is the most positive and supportive. He obviously has a crazy eye in pole vault and sees things I don’t, but the way he always knows the right thing to say to get you through the hard practices.”

The reigning state indoor champion (13-3) and fifth-place finisher at New Balance Nationals Indoor (13-2.25) and Pasqualetti has made steady progress with Auble while still running the 55-meter dash competitively (7.29 PR) and taking part in relays for Orchard Park.

Most consistently soaring above 12 feet, this indoor season, she’s been able to hone in more on the vault. Pasqualetti reached new heights Jan. 25 when she cleared 14 feet (4.26m) at the Trent Jackson/Cedric Walker Invitational. A week later, she shattered the state record, going 14-3. On Saturday, the NYAC Women’s Pole Vault will take place at The Armory, featuring recently turned pro Chloe Cunliffe, who is the national high school indoor record holder (14-9.25).

“Initially I was super nervous because I thought the expectations were pretty high,” Pasqualetti said of Thursday’s meet. “But then my grandpa, who always comes to support me, told me, ‘No, the pressure is off you. You can just go after whatever you want to do.’ And I think him saying that, made all the difference.”

Auble said he isn’t surprised by the heights, as he anticipated Pasqualetti jumping 14 feet by mid-February. Her ascent has her in the same conversation as New York greats Saxer and Olympic champion Jenn Suhr, both of whom have reached out to Pasqualetti on social media and email.

Pasqualetti used a 13-6 Altius Adrenaline Pole for her state-record jump, which was designed by Suhr and her husband, Rick, who used to coach Saxer.

“Mary (Saxer) she’s a great person both on and off the track,” Pasqualetti said. “It’s such a blessing, I think it’s (the state record) still settling in.”

Heading into Millrose, Auble and Pasqualetti have the same focused and determined mindset to enjoy the moment.

“It’s the most famous track meet in the world,” Auble said. “It’s a huge honor and it’s something we don't take lightly. We are very excited about it and we just want to go and compete.”