Elise Barnum '20 Recruiting Profile

I was a competitive gymnast for 8 years before I started my pole vaulting career. Gymnastics taught me very important things like, perseverance, commitment, sacrifice, and these things really helped me throughout my life. When I retired from gymnastics I took all the amazing things I learned with me. Pole vaulting showed me failure, how when you don’t make a height, or you don’t PR it can make you an overall better athlete.

My second meet ever vaulting was the pole vault national qualifier. I failed to record a height. I was so upset with myself I had not even been able to make a height, but looking back on my experience, with more knowledge of the sport, “no heighting” was the peak of the year because I knew I never wanted to do it again. Since then I’ve gotten low heights, and PR’s but I have always made a height. The failure early in my season made me more confident and understanding failures may come on this journey.

I am very goal oriented, and I’m looking for a college that will fit my academic needs because not only am I an athlete I am a student athlete and in being a student athlete, the thing that comes first is student. I believe my positive outlook, and my team-oriented perspective would be an amazing addition to any college team. I’ve learned so much and met so many great people through pole vault and I would like to further that at a college in my future while getting the best education available.