It’s all about the adrenaline. Knowing you’re going to be flinging yourself up in the air, so high, over a pole. It feels like flying.”

Senior Angie Logsdon

YODER – Southeast High School senior Angie Logsdon first attempted to pole vault when she was in eighth grade.

“My brother, Grant, was a junior and wanted to pole vault,” Logsdon said. “I said, ‘Well, if you’re pole vaulting, then I want to pole vault.’ It was a little thing we started.”

By her freshman year, Logsdon reached a height of nine feet in the pole vault – enough to win the 1A state title. Logsdon went on to snag the state championship in the pole vault as a sophomore.

“I felt like I was getting to where I needed to be in the pole vault (my sophomore year),” Logsdon said. “I was reaching my goals I set for myself. It’s going to go up from here.”

And up it went – Logsdon reached a personal record of 9 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. During the 2024 outdoor track season, Logsdon clinched the regional title in the pole vault and placed second at state to earn her third all-state outdoor track award.

Logsdon’s skill and experience in the pole vault caught the attention of college recruiters. On December 17, Logsdon signed to compete for the Chadron State College Eagles indoor and outdoor track teams at a ceremony with coaches and family in Yoder.

“I’m really excited about it,” Logsdon said of the commitment. “It’s the best fit for me. It feels really good to have that pressure and weight off my shoulders, to know where I’m going next year and what coaches I’ll be working with.”

Logsdon will concentrate on the pole vault for the Eagles under the guidance of track coach Jake Gruver and his staff. Logsdon looks forward to taking her track career to the next level.

“It’s going to be like family,” Logsdon remarked. “We’ve all earned it to be there. In college, you still compete for a spot, but you know that you’ve all earned it to be on the team.”

Reaching new heights in the pole vault involves both technique and strength.

“You need to have speed to get down the runway and have that power to be able to get yourself up there,” Logsdon explained. “Then you also have to have your strength to help you get vertical and get over the bar.”

The event also requires a mastery of “the basics,” Logsdon said. If form and proper placement of the step are out of sync, the pole vault could result in “disaster from the start” rather than gaining elevation.

Jumping nine to 10 feet off the ground takes courage. Logsdon sets plenty of time aside to prepare for the pole vault at meets, both physically and mentally.

“I like to get my body warm before I do anything,” Logsdon said. “While I do that, I listen to music just to get in the right mindset. And then I tell myself, ‘You’ve done this a million times. You know what you’re doing. Just trust your training.’”

Logsdon is a multitalented track athlete, and also competes in the triple jump, relays or “really wherever the coaches need me to be.” Logsdon and her teammates on the 4x800-meter relay team bagged silver at state the previous year.

The pole vault is Logsdon’s favorite event, though.

“It’s all about the adrenaline,” Logsdon said. “Knowing you’re going to be flinging yourself up in the air, so high, over a pole. It feels like flying.”

In addition to outdoor track at Southeast, Logsdon participates on the Torrington High School indoor track team and plays volleyball for the Lady Cyclones. She is also a member of the Southeast High School Student Council.

Logsdon plans to study to become an athletic trainer at Chadron State. She expressed gratitude to her family and coaches, especially pole-vaulting coach Robb Nicolay.

“(Coach Nicolay) volunteered so much time for me,” Logsdon said. “He’s the Torrington coach, but he comes in during indoor track and during outdoor whenever we go into town. He’s always helped me to get to the best of my ability. I also want to thank my family for coming to every event and supporting me.”