ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: February 28th, 2021
Parker Samuelson
Parker Samuelson has been recognized as this week's Athlete of the Week for several reasons. His hard work and positive attitude can be seen by the coaches as well as the other athletes at practice. We also love how Parker has become an advocate for the vault at his school. He helps coach the vault for anyone who needs help. Parker has been jumping since the 7th grade. Currently, he is an 11th grader at Stratford High School. He recently PR'd at the Valentine's Vault with a 14'6" clearance. He hopes to clear 16' this year. His favorite part of the vault is after you clear a bar and you float down to the pit. With his PR getting higher and higher, I'm sure he'll enjoy floating down more and more. We look forward to seeing Parker progress this season and beyond! Keep up the hard work Parker!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: January 10th, 2021
Hannah Anderson
Congratulations to Hannah Anderson, our Athlete of the Week! Hannah started vaulting in the seventh grade but just started coming to MAC Vault Academy in the past few months. She is currently a senior at Conroe High School. Her favorite part about vaulting is the pole vault community being a friendly place to meet people. Even though the other girls are competitors, everyone is still very friendly. She broke her personal best vault of 9'10" at the Belton Expo on January 1st of this year, but she broke that personal best jump again at our practice meet this past weekend. Her current best is 10'6" but we know that'll be broken again soon! Keep reaching for the sky Hannah!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: December 13th, 2020
Lauren Schmitt
Our Athlete of the Week this week goes to Lauren Schmitt! Her hard work and dedication has been noticed by all of our coaches and they are excited to spotlight her! Lauren is a Junior at Seven Lakes High School and she has been pole vaulting since she was a 7th grader. She loves the challenge of the vault. She says there is always something to work on to improve. She keeps striving to reach her next pole up, the better technique and the next PR. Her current personal best jump is 11'6" but she is so close to clearing 12'! Her favorite memory of the vault is when she had a triple PR at the Bridgeland High School meet. Way to go Lauren! Keep up the hard work!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: December 6th, 2020
Nick Morris
Nick Morris has been nominated as this week's Athlete of the Week! He started pole vaulting in October of 2020 as a Junior at Waller High School. In just a short few months, Nick has worked hard to clear 11' already! His gymnastics background has given him a strong core, a hard work ethic, and body awareness that is benefitting his vault career. So far, his favorite memory of vaulting was when he cleared a bar on his third attempt for the first time in a competition. He loves the challenge of the vault, the team comradery, and the atmosphere. We look forward to seeing where his hard work takes him! Keep it up Nick!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: November 15th, 2020
Ryley Klefstad
We are pleased to recognize Ryley Klefstad as this week's Athlete of the Week! Ryley is known for his dedication and perseverance around the gym. He started pole vaulting in 7th grade and he's currently a sophomore at Concordia Lutheran High School. His favorite memory from the vault was clearing 15' at the Master's Symposium in October (see video). With his sights on clearing 16' by the end of this season, Ryley keeps giving 100% effort at every practice. Keep up the hard work Ryley!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: November 8th, 2020
Emma Opalacz
Congratulations to this week's Athlete of the Week: Emma Opalacz!! Emma can easily be spotted at the gym with her bright pink shoes and a bright smile to match! The coaches have bragged on her work ethic and her perseverance through a spine injury. She is focused and coachable, two attributes we love at Mac Vault!! Emma's vaulting journey began in 7th grade, but she became even more dedicated to the sport this last year during her freshman season at Cy Woods. Her current PR is 9'6" with her sites set toward 10'6". Her favorite memory has been vaulting in her first High School meet after recovering from a spine injury and setting a new personal record, TWICE!!! Way to go, Emma!! We can't wait to see how high you fly this year!!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: September 13th, 2020
Lauren Henderson
This week we are honoring Lauren Henderson as our Athlete of the Week! Lauren has been attending MAC Vault for the past few years and has really stepped up her game lately. The coaches have noticed how hard she's been working during the season, and now even during the offseason! While other vaulters are taking a break, Lauren is diligently working on her technique and core strength in order to help her smash her old PR of 8'6". We look forward to helping her beat the school record of 10' at Waller High School this year as she continues to improve. She is dedicated to the vault because of how technical it is, and she loves how unique the sport is. Thanks, Lauren for always having a positive and hardworking attitude. It has not gone unnoticed!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: JULY 28th
BELLA VICKERS
Congratulations to this week's Athlete of the Week: Bella Vickers!! The coaches have bragged on Bella's hard work, determination and positive attitude. Bella is new to the sport of pole vaulting, having started January 2020; but she is not new to track. Bella has been competing in track and field since she was six years old. She has been a Junior Olympian twice for race walking and continues to compete in long distance running. Her favorite pole vault moment was when she turned upside down on the rings! Bella has yet to compete in a pole vault competition, but looks forward to setting and reaching those bars! Her training goal this summer is to work on her turn. There is a steep learning curve with pole vaulting and Bella is attacking it with gusto! Way to go, Bella! Keep up the hard work!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: June 20th, 2020
Maddie Knoop
This week we are honoring Maddie Knoop as our Athlete of the Week! Maddie is known for her beautiful smile and her big heart around the gym! She loves the family feel the gym has and enjoys making new friends here. She also loves all of the encouragement and support from the coaches. Maddie is hardworking and coachable. She has been dedicated to pole vaulting for two years now and has a personal best of 9'6"!! Maddie's goal this summer is 10'6" and we are excited to watch her fly high! Thank you, Maddie, for being a wonderful addition to our team.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: June 8th, 2020
Adam Welguisz
Congratulations to our Athlete of the Week: Adam Welguisz! Adam is known around the gym for his determination, sportsmanship, and dedication. Adam has been pole vaulting since he was four years old! He has been with Mac Vault Academy for some time now, and we have had the privilege of seeing him fly over one PR after another! His current personal record is 12'4.5!!! Adam loves the friendships he has created at Mac Vault as well as getting to travel to the Junior Olympics and the Pole Vault Summit in Reno Nevada. This summer, Adam is training hard! He knows the work put in this summer will pay off this next season. Way to go Adam, we are proud of you!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: May 17th, 2020
Lindsey Beck
This week's athlete of the week is awarded to Lindsey Beck! We are excited to welcome Lindsey to the sport of pole vaulting this year. She attends Salyards Middle School and is sad they missed the 7th-grade season but grateful she has an opportunity to keep training and competing at Mac Vault Academy. She started off strong at her first competition this March jumping 8'. This summer she is hoping to get some experience at competitions and improve her PR (aiming to fly high at 10'). She is loving getting involved in a new sport! We are proud of Lindsey's positive attitude and hard work ethic. She exudes potential!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: April 19th, 2020
Ava Kowalski
Ava Kowalski has been nominated as our athlete of the week this week because of her positive and hard-working attitude! Ava has been vaulting with MAC Vault for several years and she has consistently been a great example and leader on the team. Nearing her 10th birthday, Ava wrote a list entitled "10 things to do before I turn 10". Number three was “Pole vault my height”. She was 4’8” tall and managed to jump 5’ 0” before the deadline. With that goal smashed, she moved on to other things and ignored pole vaulting for the next 4 years. Then, entering her freshman year of high school, she noticed that the school record for pole vault was only 7’0”. Armed with a new goal, she resurrected her pole vault career and never stopped. She has school records at both Incarnate Word Academy in downtown Houston as well as Oak Ridge High School. Her personal best is 11’9” She will be vaulting at The Colorado School of Mines where she has an academic and athletic scholarship. Ava’s favorite memory of pole vaulting was when she PR'd and broke the school record at district last year and she got a hug from my dad, mom and brother. Keep up the great work Ava, and we look forward to seeing your pole vault future continue at the Colorado School of Mines!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: March 10th, 2020
Jett Booker
Jett Booker has been nominated as this week's Athlete of the Week for his hard work and dedication at each practice. With a recent quadruple PR, you can truly tell his hard work is paying off! Jett started pole vaulting in 2016 with MAC Vault Academy. His current PR is 15' and he looks to continue to improve it throughout this season. He has hopes of making it to the Regional Meet this year and even State! We know you can do it Jett, and we look forward to seeing what this season holds! Keep up the hard work!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: February 8th, 2020
Zac Krause
Zac has been pole vaulting since the 7th grade. He currently jumps for Bridgeland High School in Cy-Fair ISD. Zac has been nominated for the athlete of the week this week because of his continued determination. He shows up at every practice ready to listen, take instruction, and give his all. Zac's current personal record is 12'6" but he has a goal of reaching 14' this season. His favorite part of the pole vault is how unique the sport is. We appreciate your hard work Zac! Keep it up and good luck this season!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: April 5th, 2020
Taylor Graham
Taylor Graham has been nominated as this week's athlete of the week because of her perseverance! Taylor has been vaulting for the past four years and her love of the vault is clearly displayed through her hard work. Starting as a freshman, Taylor had a PR of 11'5"! She has so many fond memories of the vault, but one of her favorites is from her Sophomore year when she cleared 12' at the Fort Bend Relays. She remembers her mom and her coach's reactions clearly. Due to transfer regulations, Taylor was unable to vault on Varsity this season, so she persevered through each practice and she competed with the boys JV team. She was about to be able to compete with the varsity team for the last few meets of her senior year when COVID-19 canceled school and UIL track. Even though the rest of her senior season is up in the air, we know this isn't the end of Taylor's vault career. We look forward to seeing where pole vault takes her in the future, and we have been honored to coach Taylor over the past few years. Good luck in the future Taylor! You will always be a part of the MAC Vault Family.
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: March 22nd, 2020
Sean Egdorf
Sean Egdorf was nominated as our Athlete of the Week this week because of his continued persistence during practice and his love of the pole vault. Sean shows up to practice every time with a smile on his face and a hard-working attitude. We appreciate his coachability and his determination to improve. Sean has been vaulting since last year in 7th grade, however, he was out for 4 months due to injury. His PR for his last year was 7'6" but he will blow that out of the water this season. He still loves the memory of clearing his first bar in a meet. We can't wait to see what this sport holds for Sean in the future! Keep up the hard work Sean!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: January 24th, 2020
Paula Carpenter
Paula has been nominated as our athlete of the week this week due to her consistent dedication and focus during practices. Paula has loved pole vault for a while, but she started consistent practice with MAC Vault Academy about 5 months ago. Her current PR is 7'6" and she's aiming for a 9' PR by the end of the season. When she isn't pole vaulting, she spends time playing the trumpet. We look forward to seeing you fly high this season Paula! Thanks for always working hard!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: January 12th, 2020
Cannon Booker
Cannon Booker has been nominated as our athlete of the week this week due to her outstanding focus during practice. She has been pole vaulting for over a year now, starting her career in the 7th grade. She's a competitive gymnast and cross-country runner in her free time and she attends Smith Middle School. Her current PR is 9'7", but her goal this season is to clear at least 10'6". She works hard during practice and we have no doubt she'll achieve her goals this season. Keep up the hard work Cannon!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: December 22nd, 2019
Robert Postell
Robert Postell has been awarded our athlete of the week award due to his hard work and dedication in practice. He has been vaulting since 7th grade. His first year was disappointing with only a 6'6" personal best. Motivated to do better, he began training at MAC Vault in preparation for his 8th-grade season with his teammate and friend Jett Booker. What a difference! In 8th grade, Robert improved his personal record by four and a half feet to 11', which was good enough to win the District Championship and the Salyards Middle School record. Since then Robert has been a Junior Olympic National Finalist (2017-2019), a Freshman District Runner Up (2018), named to the Varsity as a Sophomore (2019), a Points Finisher (5th) and a District Championship (2019). Robert's favorite thing about the vault is the comradery with his fellow vaulters and coaches. He enjoys the fellowship that comes from all of them hoping for the best out of each other. For the upcoming season, Robert hopes to be a strong and helpful teammate to his fellow MAC Vault and Bridgeland Vaulters, to improve his vaulting fundamentals and become a stronger and more consistent competitor, and to improve his Personal Record from 13'9" to over 15' by the end of the season. We look forward to seeing all his hard work continue to pay off!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: December 15th, 2019
Isabella Kolodziejczyk
Isabella Kolodziejczyk wins the athlete of the week award this week for her perseverance during practice! Going up on poles and having mental toughness is a HUGE part of succeeding in the pole vault, and she demonstrated that this week! Izzy has been pole vaulting since she was in 6th grade with MAC Vault Academy. Her dad, Clayton, joined her in learning the unique sport and we love to see their bond grow as they both compete. Izzy was district champ her 7th and 8th-grade year and continued on to qualify for the area meet as a freshman at CSHS. Her PR is 11' (see the video) and her goal this season is to clear 11'6". Izzy loves everything about the vault except when you land on the bar. She wisely says, "If you clear the bar, then you'll never land on it." Her positive attitude and persistence in pole vaulting encourage others around her. Keep up the hard work Izzy!
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: November 10th, 2019
Sam Sanders
This week's Athlete of the Week is awarded to Sam Sanders for his coachability during practice. Our coaches noticed how Sam was taking instruction well, and he was intentional to implement the advice they gave. This is Sam's 6th season vaulting. With a personal best of 14'6", Sam has worked diligently each season to pursue his best. His favorite memory from pole vaulting was attending the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, NV last season. His goal is to jump 15'6" this season and with his hard work ethic, I know we'll see him fly high this season! Keep up the great work Sam!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: October 27th, 2019
Joshua Keith
This week's Athlete of the Week is awarded to Joshua Keith for his focus during practice. Our coaches noticed how diligent Joshua is to complete each drill during practice. From the time he shows up to the time he heads home, he is focused on learning and working on his technique and his knowledge of the vault. This is Joshua's second season pole vaulting. He currently has a personal record of 9'6" but his goal this season is to fly over 12'. Joshua's favorite part about pole vault is the adrenaline rush he gets as he flies through the air. Keep up the great work Joshua!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: October 13th, 2019
Colby Tindall
This week's Athlete of the Week is awarded to Colby Tindall for his diligence during practice. Whether we are working on drills or vaulting on the runway, Colby completes each task with 100% effort. Colby has been vaulting since his 8th-grade year. He loves how unique the vault is. During his sophomore year, his coach recognized his great potential and recommended him to jump with Club Vaultitude in Dallas. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious foot injury in February 2019 that left him out most of his senior track season. Colby has been working hard to pursue his potential as a vaulter with a 15' PR from the MAC Vault Speedway vault this summer (see video!). Colby is diligent every day to achieve his goal of walking on at Texas A&M.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: October 6th, 2019
Quinn Calhoun
Quinn Calhoun has been chosen as our athlete of the week because, in one word, she is "DRIVEN"! When she shows up to practice, she works out with her end goal in sight: the hopes of jumping in college. Quinn tried pole vaulting in 7th grade and was hooked! She says she loves the culture of the pole vault world, “It’s competitive but laid back. Everyone is encouraging and really happy when someone gets a PR in a meet even though they want to win too.” Her personal record last season in 9th grade was 10’6”. She placed 3rd at her District meet and she was excited to have lettered as a freshman at Cypress Woods High School. Quinn has big goals going forward, setting her sites on 12’ this year to continue working towards her goal of collegiate vaulting.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: September 29th, 2019
Reid Foster
Reid Foster has earned our athlete of the week honor this week with his persistence at practice. With drill after drill, he has put in consistent effort every time. Reid's personal record is currently 15', but his goal for his senior year is to clear 16' and continue to vault in college. His favorite pole vault memory was competing at the state meet last year in the Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas. Congratulations Reid! Keep up the hard work!
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: September 22nd, 2019
Sailor Todaro
Congratulations to Sailor Todaro, our first Athlete of the Week! The coaches at MAC Vault Academy want to recognize Sailor for her hard work and dedication. With only vaulting a year and a half, she took her PR from 8'6" as an 8th grader, to 10'! She attends multiple practices a week, semi-private sessions, as well as outside speed training to improve in all areas of the vault. Her favorite memory of pole vaulting was receiving her letterman's jacket and Field Event Player Of The Year award as a freshman at Bryan High School. Her current PR is 10'6", but we know it won't stay there for long! Her next goal is to set a new Bryan High School record during her sophomore year. Good luck Sailor! Fly High!