Lady Lion inks to Southern Arkansas
JESSIEVILLE — After just learning how to pole vault this track season, Jessieville senior Annabel Robertson improved her height by 2 feet in two months and earned a scholarship to Southern Arkansas University to compete for the Muleriders.
The senior inked her National Letter of Intent to SAU during a ceremony inside Jessieville Sports Arena Thursday and said she did not imagine making this much progress in the event this season.
“The first day of track season this year I said, ‘You know, I think I’m going to try pole vault so we can get some points in it,’ because one of our pole vaulters moved last year,” she said. “So I was like, ‘You know, we’re going to need some more field event points for that so I’ll just go ahead and try it.’ I never imagined that I would improve that much in a year. It’s crazy.”
Pole vaulting requires many different technical skills and is not an event that is easy to master quickly. Robertson stayed late after practice throughout the track season to continue to improve in the event.
Jessieville track coach T.J. Burk said Robertson has dealt with frustration about different technical parts of the sport, but she continues to stay after practice after everyone else is gone and with her work ethic, she is going to keep making progress.
“Pole vault is not something where you can just come out and pick up the pole and run and jump,” Burk said. “It takes a lot of work and technique. It’s probably one of the most technical field events that there is in track. So the fact that she’s able to do what she does right now is pretty mind blowing actually.”
Jessieville girls track coach Magen Scrivner coached Robertson in both basketball and track this season and highlighted her work ethic.
“It’s pretty much unbelievable that she has increased 2 feet in two months or even in two months in the point she’s at in pole vaulting,” Scrivner said. “This year, her senior year, she hasn’t missed one practice. We start practice around 2:30. She finishes around 5-5:30 at times. She has put in lots and lots of extra work to get to where she’s at.”
Robertson chose to attend SAU because of the school’s marine biology program, and her sister also attends the university.
Most SAU marine biology students eventually take marine science classes at The University of Southern Mississippi
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which was an important factor for Robertson in choosing to become a Mulerider.
“Oh yeah, since I was little,” Robertson said about her passion for marine biology. “Before I can remember I wanted to be a marine biologist.”
Being relatively new to pole vaulting, Robertson said she does not always place very high in the event.
Jessieville competed in a variety of different sized track meets this season, and Roberston said competing against bigger schools prepared her for 3A competition. She looks forward to hopefully competing at nationals on the collegiate level before she graduates from SAU.
“Normally in 3A I have a good chance of winning the meet,” she said. “So I think in my conference and in college I’ll have a lot more chances to improve.”
Scrivner echoed Burk’s sentiment and said pole vaulting is probably the most technical event in track. Luckily for Robertson, that is one of her favorite things about pole vaulting.
“It’s a lot of technical things,” Robertson said. “I think I like that. It’s a bunch of little tiny things you have to put all together for it to work out. I kind of liked learning each little thing and then finally getting the final product of putting it all together. “
Robertson said she hopes to leave a legacy at Jessieville that shows fellow Lions they can do whatever they want to do, no matter their size or age.
“I think it’s leaving a legacy for the younger kids that look up to her already,” Scrivner said. “You know, ‘Hey I can do this too.’ Annabel’s only been doing this for two months. Maybe it’s setting an example to the younger kids, ‘Hey if I work really hard for something that I want, I can accomplish it.’”