Pole vault is one of the more difficult events to master in track and field. It takes a combination of speed and strength, technique and trajectory. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Having an experienced coach is key, especially as young vaulters are learning the sport. Young athletes know credibility when they see it and will listen intently to a coach who not only knows the sport but also excelled at it.
That was the idea behind St. John Central Academy’s hiring of Danielle Stewart to coach its pole vaulters for this season. Stewart was a multiple-time Mountain East pole vault champion, first at Notre Dame College and again at Wheeling University after she transferred following the Faclons’ dropping their track program.
“She brings credibility, and these kids look up to her,” said Bubba Kapral, the Fighting Irish AD and longtime successful coach at St. John for both girls’ basketball and track. “She’s a former college athlete, and that definitely helps the cause and mobile kids to come out.
Kapral credits head track coach Jamie Hammond with helping bring Stewart on board.
“Jamie deserves a lot of credit on that one,” Kapral said. “She brought her on, and she’s been a great hire. We’re very happy with her.”
Her senior season, Stewart qualified for the Division II indoor meet, but never got the vault as COVID canceled the championships. Gaining another year of eligibility because of COVID, she returned to again win the MEC Championship in her signature event.
Stewart now works to help save lives as an emergency room nurse at a local hospital. Her extra time at Wheeling U allowed her not only to earn a bachelor’s in nursing but also exercise science.
The athletic department at SJCA has been accommodating to Stewart’s work schedule, working around her long hours and making adjustments should she be unable to make it to practice.
“I have to work a minimum of three days, and Jamie and Bubba, if I can’t make it one day, it’s not a big deal. I give them workout ideas for when I’m not able to get there,” Stewart said.
Whole Lot of Coaching
While this is Stewart’s first foray into high school track and field coaching, it’s not her only gig coaching pole vaulters, nor is this her first coaching position.
Stewart noted that St. John contacted her toward the tail end of the collegiate career about coaching track. She was receptive, naturally, but also took the opportunity to coach a different sport—cross country.
While Stewart didn’t have the XC background that she does with pole vault, her roommate was a cross country runner for Wheeling U. During COVID, she got to training with her on a daily basis and used that knowledge, along with some advice, to coach the Irish XC team.
It consisted of one junior high and one high school runner, but both improved tremendously and interest in the program is growing.
Now it’s time to focus on her bread and butter, though in addition to pole vault, Stewart will also be helping with the hurdles.
The Fighting Irish are about two weeks into track practice. Stewart, in addition to her work with high schoolers, is helping out at Wheeling University as there was a vault coach opening there.
It’s a lot to juggle, high school, college, and a career in nursing. But Stewart is managing nicely.
“My college kids, it’s kind of nice as they can practice throughout the day; then the high school kids go in the evening,” Stewart said. “A lot of times with college athletes, it’s morning practice.”
She’s already having an impact with the Cardinals. Wheeling recently competed in the Mountain East Indoor Track & Field Championships in Huntington. WU sophomore Keala McCurry won the pole vault with a mark of 3.50 meters. That mark tied the MEC meet championship meet record, set back in February of 2020 by none other than Stewart.
The difficult part now for Stewart is devising different training regimens for the level of vaulters she works with. Division II athletes have a larger knowledge base for the sport, while junior high and high school vaulters may be completely new.
“That’s the hardest part; the college athletes are used to certain workouts, while you have to tailor the high school workouts and middle school to what they need to work on. Some of these kids are younger and trying (pole vault) out for the first time.”
One thing is for certain, the athletes on both teams couldn’t have found a better coach.
