Benjamin Kramich '20 Recruiting Profile

I am a 17 year heading into my Sr year of high school.  I became interested in track after my freshman football season ended because I knew I wanted to keep in good shape for the next football season. I knew I was one of the faster kids on my team so I wanted to hone my skills as a wide receiver and safety.  I tried pole vaulting one day while one of the seniors from our team was practicing for an upcoming meet.  We never really had a coach specifically for vaulting so if you wanted to learn it, you had to watch and figure it out.  I tried it and immediately loved it so this kid who was a Sr. showed me the basics and I did pretty well even though I didn’t have proper form but well enough to qualify for states that year with no proper training. I ended up going to a private trainer that summer and learned how to have proper form and improved quite a bit! Sophomore year ended up being pretty good and I was the D4 CAL champ. I practiced when I could around football workouts and did the most I could during the summer and winter months.

Then at the beginning of my Jr. outdoor season I ended up having a freak accident during the first practice of the season where I had a concussion and because of the impact I had a seizure and couldn’t vault for many weeks after that.  That is not the way my Jr. season was supposed to start and it really set me back after all of the practice and hard work I had put in the winter leading up to it. Needless to say, I had to consult with a sports psychologist because I guess I ended up with a bit of PTSD from the accident when I was able to go back. Thankfully I was able to work through it and I ended up having an ok season with a PR of 13’ although I was hoping for better but when I think where I was at just 8 weeks prior to that, I was grateful. Now I am just focusing on improving and doing the best I can while trying to find the right college fit for me where I can vault/jump for a competitive team that has a good college vibe and is respected academically.  I work hard for my B’s but I am showing improvement and I will continue to work hard.  The concussion did cause a blip with my grades at the end of 3^rd quarter but my teachers were super patient and gave me lots of extra time.  Also because of the head injury, I can’t play football my very last year of high school which is a huge bummer but it will give me more time to focus on pole vaulting and long jumping.  I’ve played with my football teammates since 3^rd grade but I will be there alongside supporting them every step of the way!