Jaedyn Archinard heads to Howard for pole vaulting

In the spring of 2020, after 13 long years of doing gymnastics, Jaedyn Archinard, a recent graduate of Indian Springs School, became a pole vaulting athlete.

On May 24, Archinard signed with Howard University in Washington, D.C., as the first female pole vaulter on its track and field team.

Archinard attended an all-sports camp when she was younger, during which she learned soccer, softball, tennis, dance, golf and ice skating, but none of those piqued her interest. She enjoyed gymnastics because there was always something new to learn and it allowed her to do lots of traveling around the United States, including New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado and Georgia. Often, her family would make a vacation out of these trips, she said.

However, things became stressful for Archinard when the COVID-19 pandemic first began. Wear and tear pains plagued her before and after the pandemic, and no one was allowed to use the gym because it was closed. When the opportunity came to switch to pole vaulting, she felt ready to move on.

“It was a really hard decision; it was a really big decision, but everyone supported me,” she said.

Pole vaulting is something different and fun that she can do close to where she lives in Hoover.

Jaedyn trains at Peak Athletics Pole Vaulting Club with her coach, Chris Spears. After two months, she gained a personal record jump of 9 feet, 6 inches. She dedicates her fast progress to Spears’ teaching methods.

“My coach is really good about helping me understand how to make corrections, basing it off of certain gymnastics things,” she said. “He’s just good about wording things right so it clicks better in my head.”

She also said she really enjoys the sport, which encourages her to work harder.

In the summer, Jaedyn practices pole vaulting four days a week, with two days dedicated to jumping and the other two for training. Jumping practice lasts for 2½ hours, with the first few minutes for warmups and stretches, and the rest of the time is just pole vaulting. Training days are between 2½ to 3½ hours long, and include running, conditioning and weight training.

Howard University pole vaulting will bring some new challenges for Archinard. When she did gymnastics, she was a part of a lot of different teams, meaning she knew where she fit in and how to make new friends. She has only been on one other pole vaulting team, so understanding her place on the university’s team might prove more difficult.

But, those differences are also refreshing. Archinard said she is super excited to meet new coaches and learn how they handle corrections and leadership. She also loves that she gets to be a part of a team in college and meet new people. Some other girls on the team have practiced pole vaulting, but she will be the first female to specialize in it.

“He [Coach David Oliver] did say I’m gonna have to train with the sprinters, so I’m not sure how hard that will be ... but it’s very exciting, and I’m very thankful to have this opportunity,” she said.

Archinard said she hopes to also try other track and field events during her time at Howard.