Montana Girls Make Their Marks As Pole Vaulters

Tina Lemm won the first girls pole vault event at a scored high school meet in Montana, clearing 7 feet, 9 inches last week in a dual meet between Missoula Big Sky and Butte.

“It was really fun,” Lemm said. “I wasn’t that nervous, but I felt some pressure to do well because as a gymnast I felt I had to live up to something.”

Amy Schwenk of Missoula Big Sky finished second at 7-0, while Hillary Pesanti of Butte was third, also at 7-0.

Montana, California and Oregon this year became the first states to add girls pole vault to scored meets.

Girls compete in the pole vault in North Idaho as well, from Moscow to Coeur d’Alene.

In Moscow, the Bears’ Kim Breckenridge and Jamie Sumner recently competed in the event for the first time.

Moscow High vault coach Ron Edson did not ask the girls to join the team. He was just looking for some good vaulters.

“I knew Jamie Sumner was a pretty good gymnast and that’s one of the things you need,” he said. “I base a lot of the training on gymnastics, bar work, tumbling. It’s basically like a gymnastics workout.”