Lindsey Folsom fell short of her goal of clearing 11-feet, 6-inches in the pole vault, so there might be a tinge of disappointment when she talks about her season. Still, the Cony junior feels the strides she has made will pay off this spring and ultimately help her reach her desired height.

“My form became a lot better and that should help me with outdoor,” Folsom said.

Even though she didn’t reach her goal, this season was a successful one for Folsom. She won the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A title with a vault of 11-0 and the Class A state title with a vault of 10-6. For her success, Folsom has been named the Kennebec Journal Girls Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the third straight season.

Folsom struggled with shin problems last spring and was limited to just pole vaulting this winter. During her freshman and sophomore seasons, Folsom also competed in the 55-meter hurdles. Still, she felt 100 percent healthy this winter and expects to make a big leap in the spring.

“We didn’t really have her work on drills and didn’t push it an awful lot,” Cony coach Taylor Harmon said. “She didn’t make a lot of full runs, to get her ready for this spring.”

Folsom is also working with a pole vault coach, Peter Marsh, a former pole vaulter at the University of Southern Maine.

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“He was a pole vaulter himself, so he knows what it feels like and what it should feel like,” Folsom said. “He can do a drill so I can see it and visualize it.”

Working with Marsh and continuing to study pole vaulting has increased Folsom’s knowledge of the event and should help her down the road, Harmon said. The next step in her progression is to “get her off the top of the pole,” Harmon said.

Folsom said her top jump this winter was 11-1, well short of her goal, but she can see improvement.

“If you look at my form, it has improved so much,” Folsom said. “Five inches doesn’t sound like much, but in pole vault it really is. I don’t see that as something I can’t get. I feel it is attainable.”

While Folsom will continue to focus on improving her technique, she understands at some point she is just going to have to go for it. Colleges, she said, will want to see that she is able to clear higher heights.

Harmon also said it is important for Folsom to start doing other events again because college will want her to be able to do multiple events.

Scott Martin — 621-5618

smartin@centralmaine.com


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