Peyton Allworth '19 Recruiting Profile

Finishing 3^rd at state as a junior may have been my biggest thrill thus far in the pole vault, but I’d have to say that my proudest moment was being recognized as Most Improved Male Athlete on my high school track team, for the journey to that award was not an easy one.

I fell in love with the pole vault immediately when I was not quite 15 and knew that I wanted to do it in college and if possible beyond.  My club coach recognized my passion and was willing to share ideas and plans that would point me toward success years out rather than just in weeks and months.  While I made fast progress, my ability to train as hard as I’d like was always held back by pain in my left knee (something that had bothered me since late in grade school).  Finally, in January of my sophomore year, a doctor diagnosed that it was a rare disorder (Osteochondritis Dissecans) causing the pain that I had been experiencing for so long.  The remedy was not something easy for a 16-year-old to hear.  I had to shut down all activity for a couple of months, then have surgery, and then wait an additional 6-8 months before I could do any running again.  While the news was devastating and I probably wasn’t easy to live with, a small part of me looked forward to being truly healthy and pain-free when it was all over. 

During my time off I did a lot of reading and became engrossed in research on training and recovery techniques, hoping that I could make up for the time missed once I was cleared.  The experience made me more patient and more willing to do all the little things for success in the long term.  I train better, eat better, sleep better, and just take care of myself better for having gone through this experience.  I also think that it has helped influence what I’d like to study in college.  Many of my teammates now turn to me for training and recovery advice and I have really enjoyed helping them prepare for greater performance and better health.  I may not be the most vocal guy, but I think my work ethic and love of the process make me a good team leader by example.

I’m completely healthy myself now and am enjoying the kind of offseason training that I’ve never been able to do.  My olympic lift PRs are increasing rapidly, and I’m seeing that translate into my speed and short approach work.  In my first indoor meet this year (late October) I had two new PRs, ultimately clearing 15'-0".  I’m excited by what this trend and the general health to train fully means for my senior year but also for the years to come.  I’m looking for a college that is a good fit athletically and academically; one that has a track team with a strong sense of community and a history of success in the pole vault.  By "success in the pole vault" I mean consistent vaulter improvement as much or more than overall results.  Many schools successfully recruit good vaulters.  It seems like only a few recruit good vaulters and make them great.  While I think that I'll be a 16 footer this year it is more important to me that I'm an 18+ footer by the time I finish college.  I know I'll put in the work to make that (and a post collegiate career) a possibility, but I'll also want to work with a coach that is fully invested in my improvement and isn't content with me plateauing at any point.