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Raising the bar: BHS pole vaulter primed for college

Hawkins' work at state shows she's ready for FLC
Bayfield's Katie Hawkins revealed her commitment to pole vault for Fort Lewis College at a May 10 ceremony inside BHS' cafetorium. Observing the decision were (standing, left to right) BHS Track and Field Pole Vault Coach Nancy Harrington, brother David Hawkins, BHS Track and Field Head Coach Gary Heide, mother Cindy Hawkins (seated, left) and father Frank Hawkins.

Last weekend's vastly improved weather in Lakewood-over that experienced back home in the Pine River Valley six days into May-was certainly conducive to competitors striving to go bigger and better.

Or, being that the Class 3A State Track-and-Field Championships had arrived, biggest and best.

"I'm hoping to just mentally prepare to do my best, peak at the right time and the right day," Bayfield's Katie Hawkins had said. "All of us top five are really close to each other; hopefully it's a good day for me!"

After being presented with BHS' graduating Class of 2016 just five days before her time inside Jeffco Stadium arrived, the highest possible podium position was about the only thing on Hawkins' mind as she warmed up to compete in her specialty-the pole vault. She's recently cleared 9'1" inside Wolverine Country Stadium as part of the May 6-7 Terry Alley Invitational (hosted by Pagosa Springs, but using BHS' vaulting pit).

"I p.r.'d.in horrible conditions," she recalled. "But it was great; really fun and exciting, and I'm glad I got to jump again for Bayfield at Bayfield! It was my last time, so.."

So.she recreated the moment before her largest and last audience, as a prep athlete.

Now-senior Maddi Foutz's rise from a regular-season 8'7" best to a fourth-place 9'7" was outstanding, but Hawkins' sixth-place 9'1" not only helped the duo produce 10 of the Wolverines' 17 team points-yielding 17th place overall-at the meet, but confirmed a consistency which had the attention of Fort Lewis College.

And after a spring pondering her post-Bayfield destination, Hawkins agreed to stay within La Plata County and commit to the NCAA Division II institution in Durango-which lists former Bayfield standout and current DHS assistant coach Jacob Hetrick as an assistant to Coach Mark Dutro.

"I'm definitely really excited to go, meet new people and jump for a bigger school," said Hawkins, daughter of Frank and Cindy, "and get to experience the whole thing and be part of the new program. Hopefully start it off great!"

"I just think she's really going to be able to excel at Fort Lewis," said BHS Pole Vault Coach Nancy Harrington. "It's a newer program, so she'll get a lot of attention she needs. It is nice for her to stay local; she does have the support of her parents. A lot of times young student-athletes leave town and it becomes.a lot to take on."

"We're very excited about her getting the opportunity to compete at the next level," Frank Hawkins said.

"She's gotten stronger in her core, and more confidence-that's the big thing, the confidence. To be able to know you're going to make it over 'this' height," he noted. "And we went down to Arizona this summer-Dean Starkey's camp down there-and she had some individual lessons; I know that helped with her development."

And just as learning from the former two-time NCAA Div. I champ (at the University of Illinois) and world-class vaulter-once ranked #1 in the United States and owning a 19'5" best-at the Arizona Pole Vault Academy couldn't hurt her progress this season. Her overall health was a big plus, too.

"We kept her legs healthy," stated Harrington, a former D-I vaulter at Kansas State University. "Last year she had a little bit of a leg issue, but this year we've been good. And mentally she's just more mature, understands what it takes to get out and get the job done-and she does it every time!"

"I think they really want, like, upcoming new athletes, and someone that's willing to put in a lot of effort into the sport that they want to pursue," Katie Hawkins said of the Skyhawks, "and the career they want to have. I do my best to keep my grades up, go to practice every day, and jump the best I can!"

A program only in existence since Fall 2014, FLC's 2015-16 roster listed only freshman Sarah Ben (Fairfax, Okla./1A Woodland H.S.) as a pole vaulter. No 'Hawks were entered in the May 6-8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, hosted by Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.

After starting at the meet-minimum 2.93 meters (9'7.4"), BHSU sophomore Alexis Clark won the RMAC with a best of 3.88 (12'8.8"), defeating Chadron, Neb., State College junior Angelique Urenda's 3.68 (12'0.9") max.

"I've coached Katie three years in different aspects-she's run relays and such-but I think what sets Katie apart is just her attitude," said Bayfield Track Coach Gary Heide. "And her dedication to perfect her skills, no excuses."

"And that great family support.drives her-she's such a conscientious, kind person, and helps other people along the way. In track-and-field, she was always there to help out if we needed someone in a relay-never a prima donna saying, 'I'm not gonna do that!' And she was always supportive of everybody else."

"I'm hoping to get all my prerequisites out of the way for my nursing degree that I'm hoping to go for," said Hawkins, a gymnast until eighth grade and then finding her calling at BHS, where she also played volleyball. "And keep a 4.0 (grade-point average), hopefully.and do my best, get points for the team."

"Doing other sports here prepares you for that, and different coaching styles," Harrington said. "I may not coach the same way her volleyball coach did, or her throws coach does, and it prepares you to be able to step into that next level and understand 'It may not be what I'm used to, but I can handle it; I know I've been there before.'"

"Super proud of her.. My husband-who coaches as well-and I had no doubt she'd be able to go on."

2016 CHSAA CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, GIRLS' POLE VAULT (top 10 of 18): 1.Ivy Todd, jr., Estes Park, 10'4"; 2.Bailey Schumacher, sr., Eaton, 9'10"; 3.Robin Peterson, soph., Lafayette Peak to Peak, 9'10"; 4.MADDI FOUTZ, JR., BAYFIELD, 9'7"; 5.Liz Norell, sr., Sterling, 9'7"; 6.KATIE HAWKINS, SR., BAYFIELD, 9'1"; 7.Hayley Rayburn, soph., Bailey Platte Canyon, 9'1"; 8.Allie Winkler, sr., New Castle Coal Ridge, 8'7"; 9.Ami Dyer, sr., Eaton, 8'7"; 10.Brooke Polenz, soph., Sterling, 8'7".