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!