By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
Ellie McCardwell of Pendleton Heights made history May 19 at the Pendleton Heights Sectional as the diminutive junior pole vaulted 13’5” in winning the sectional title. If you think that is quite a height for a girl, you are right. It’s one inch shy of the state record set in 2006 by Homestead’s Katie Veith and is the best vault recorded nationally this season.
Folks in the land of the Arabians, however, are not surprised. McCardwell spent 10 years of her youth participating in gymnastics. As a freshman, she decided to run track for the Arabians. During that season, one of her coaches suggested that she try pole vaulting, and Ellie took him up on the idea.
It was a decision that has forever changed her life. It is a decision that will undoubtedly send her to college on scholarship and has a lot of people thinking Olympics.
Hoosier Authority caught up with McCardwell after she participated in Pendleton Heights’ winning 4×100 meter relay team and spoke to her about her vaulting feats and her future goals. We hope you will forgive some of the background noise in the later stages of the interview as action was continuing on the track as we spoke.
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