Hockaday is filled with talented, confident and insightful Upper Schoolers, and in my last year, I want to learn about as many students as possible. And the best way to do so is, of course, over a scoop of ice cream. This issue, I took the one and only Samantha Moseley — skilled pole vault athlete— for ice cream, and she had quite the scoop to share.
Sprinting down a short runway, junior Samantha Moseley uses a lengthy pole to lift her body over a bar many feet in the air. But as effortless as her flights may seem to lucky spectators, Moseley has dedicated myriad hours to perfecting her craft.
“I saw [pole vault] for the first time in seventh grade, and I told my dad I had to do it,” Moseley said. “In eighth grade, I fell in love with the technicality of it. Although it seems daunting at first, it’s highly rewarding. And you get to fling yourself up into the air with each jump, which is so fun.”
Moseley committed to the sport, joining Texas Express Pole Vault Club in Princeton, Texas in eighth grade. Despite the hourlong drive, Moseley practices as much as possible. On her own, she trains speed and strength to make her in-person training sessions as productive as possible.
“It gets challenging sometimes, because it takes four to five hours out of my Saturday,” Moseley said. “But it’s so rewarding every time I go. The adrenaline rush of jumping up and falling back down motivates me.”
In January, Moseley attended the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, and competed alongside hundreds of other athletes.
“There were Olympians, there were people who were trying it for the first time and there were people who were 80 years old,” Moseley said. “That was the most amazing pole vault experience that I’ve ever had.”
Due to the numerous technical aspects of the sport, maintaining a positive, confident attitude is essential to success.
“Because you jump as high as you can until you fail at each meet, there is such a mental block that a lot of pole vaulters can get,” Moseley said. “I just always try to keep a positive mindset and know that I will get better because I’m doing the work. My main mindset is to jump the best that I can with better technique, even if it’s not as high, because it will help me in the long run.”
In the spring, Moseley competes with the track and field team, building excitement about representing Hockaday pole vault and teaching the next generation of athletes.
“[Pole vault] has reinforced my love of teaching,” Moseley said. “I really love seeing [the] light in people’s eyes when they finally get it.”
Finding inspiration in Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila, who began the sport at 23, Moseley wants to encourage the next era of pole vaulters to chase their goals, even if they seem impossible.
“There’s always the mental block whenever you first start something of ‘I’m not going to be good enough,’” Moseley said. “Everyone can pole vault. Just show up thinking one more, and that one more will form the habit and it’ll keep you going.”
