Emma Rudolph the Pole Vaulting Star

Pole Vaulting isn’t a very common sport among women, it’s an extreme sport with many injuries and constant danger; for Emma Rudolph it’s an everyday activity that she enjoys more than anything else. Most Vaulters don’t have the privilege of being able to grow up and practice from a young age, but for Emma the experience was different. Emma got a head start over her competition, as she started vaulting in middle school. She always wanted to pole vault because her older sister did it and wanted to follow in her footsteps.

As a Golden Valley Pole Vaulter Emma has held the school record since her sophomore year. During that year the record was 9’6” held by Rachel Hamilton. Emma broke the record by vaulting 10’.

Over the course of her career she has made tremendous progress in multiple Invitational meets and the Foothill League competition. She has broken the school record three times. Her personal record is 11 feet, leaving her tied for first in league. She has been training vigorously to improve her best height, every summer she goes to Pennsylvania for a week long Pole Vault camp, last season her PR was 10 feet. It is normal for a vaulter to improve their height by around 6 inches each season, she has improved by an entire foot and is still improving, she hopes to get 11’6” by the end of this season.

During a track meet coaches have to strategically position athletes in certain events to maximize the amount of points the team needs.  For coach Lonnie Davis he doesn’t worry about Pole Vault because he knows Emma will either take first place earning the team 5 points or at worse second place earning 3 points.

“Outside of being a talented athlete, Emma Rudolph is an even better person. Her uplifting spirit is felt amongst all of her teammates. The hard work, dedication, and work ethic that she puts towards her craft has paid dividends for her individually and for the team.

She’s positioned herself at the top of the Foothill League with a legit chance to make CIF. Personally, I’m honored to to be her coach and she brings so much to our team” Coach Lonnie Davis said.

Emma is looking to close out the season with a first place in the foothill league and possibly advancing to CIF. Emma has made massive improvements every year since her high school career began and being a junior she still has time to improve even more.