She sprints down the lane, sticks her pole into the pit and catapults herself eight feet into the air and over the bar. 

It may be scary, but Laramie Horstman has done this for a couple of years.

“A lot of people look up to her,” Head Pole Vaulting Coach Eric Myers said. “A lot of people try to mimic her, because she knows what she’s doing and I think that helps out a lot of people too. Then it also gives me an extra brain to use, so she can help out other people who are just now joining for the first time.”

While being the only returning pole vaulter could’ve set her apart from the team this year, it didn’t. Horstman has become a leader to the four pole vaulters who are new to the team. She has helped others through using her past experience and sharing advice.

“She gives me tips and stuff,” freshman pole vaulter Chloe Murray said. “She’ll watch me vault and then she’ll honestly tell me more stuff than the coach will, because she’s not really a selfish person at all. She wants to help other people and she wants others to succeed. And she wants to succeed herself, but she also puts others before her.”

While Horstman believes that she is not perfect at pole vaulting, her teammates follow her example and look up to her when training every day. Horstman works to encourage each of her teammates and help her coach out however she can. 

“I’m obviously a far cry from perfect at it,” Horstman said. “And I know I haven’t had a full season really yet. But like, I still have days where like oh my gosh, I should be so much further along than this. And I have to remind myself, everyone’s gonna level up at their own pace. As long as I know what I’m doing when we can work the hardest. Like, that’s all that matters because over time, there will be progress from that.”