As junior captain Gabe Pimsler prepares to vault over a bar ten feet in the air, only one thought goes through his head.

“My biggest fear is falling back onto the runway,” he said. “But there’s a lot of pressure from the outside, so I just have to do it.”

It is this kind of mentality that head coach Stan McClure said he appreciates in Pimsler, who is the only pole vaulter who has consistently competed in the event.

“We’re one of the most inexperienced teams in pole vault,” McClure said. “His experience puts us in position to get points.”

Pimsler first started competing in the pole vault freshman year, and is sometimes the sole pole vaulter on the team. According to McClure, without Pimsler, the team would lose points in the overall competition.

According to Pimsler, pole vaulting is a very difficult sport, due to the struggle of having a consistent vault.

“The hardest part about pole vaulting is that it’s a really frustrating sport,” he said. “Due to the complexity of the sport it’s common to have a string of off days.”

Pimsler said there are a few new athletes on the team attempting to learn to pole vault this year, and according to McClure, Pimsler is an asset in teaching them.

“He helps out the younger kids with the basics of vaulting,” McClure said. “He comforts them and builds their confidence at the same time.”

Despite his experience, Pimsler said his size is a potential problem in the sport, but he makes the most of it.

“Due to the physics of pole vaulting, increasing my body weight would help,” he said. “But I try and use my small size to be even more nimble getting over the bar.”