Key West High School was officially still on holiday break on Jan. 6, but it wasn’t apparent from the activity on campus. While the Conchs were busy hosting a basketball tournament indoors at Bill Butler Gymnasium, outdoor enthusiasts enjoyed a special show in The Backyard. Key West Track and Field Club hosted the annual Pole Vault in Paradise event, moved from its prior location at the beach to avoid heavy traffic from the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride. The new location gave fans a chance to catch some high-flying feats of athleticism.
Several high-caliber athletes made a pit stop in paradise on their journeys toward the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Extra effort was put into the event this year to make it an official Olympic qualifier, which helped draw in some of the biggest names in the world in pole vaulting. Included in those seeking Olympic gold this summer was former Texas Bobcat athlete Anicka Newell, a two-time Olympic qualifier who represented Canada in 2016 and again in ’21 (after the 2020 games were postponed due to the pandemic). Her Canadian mother’s citizenship makes her eligible to represent Team Canada, which she hopes to do in 2024.
But perhaps the most exciting athlete to grace the runway last week was Greek-born Stanford graduate Aikaterina “Kat” Stefanidi, the winner of the Olympic gold medal in pole vaulting in 2016. The three-time Olympic Games qualifier took fourth in Tokyo in 2021 and is on track to qualify for her fourth games this summer in Paris. Though no athletes qualified via the event, Newell and Stefanidi have a high probability of representing their countries this summer.
And just what does an Olympic gold medalist do while in the Keys? Stefanidi said after landing late Thursday night, she and husband/coach Mitchell Krier spent some time on the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor, then headed to the track for a “shake out” to prepare for the event Saturday.
After the competition, she offered some solid advice for anyone interested in having a go at pole vault.
“The most important part is you have to really like it. I think that’s true for anything, but especially for pole vault,” she said. For those wondering whether a seasoned veteran like Stefanidi finds the event at all terrifying, she admitted it can be a bit unnerving.
“There’s fear involved and you have to work so hard for three or four days in the year, so you have to really enjoy the process and find positives in the bad days,” she said. “You just have to really love pole vaulting. You can’t just love success or love to go to the Olympics – you have to love pole vaulting. That’s your number one motivator.”
Unfortunately for Stefanidi, Fort Zach will be just about the only fun enjoyed on the trip; she had to switch to an earlier flight home to Colorado because she was summoned to report for jury duty on Monday morning. Asked if she plans to return to the Southernmost City for Pole Vault in Paradise next year, she said, “I think so, yes, hopefully. It will be nice after an Olympic year.” With any luck, she will return with another Olympic medal for a bit of a longer stay.
Not every competitor in the annual showcase is a decorated, world-renowned vaulter – at least, not just yet. The event draws amateur athletes as well, including Key West High School senior and 2023 FHSAA silver medalist Suharevskis Niks-Davis. Niks-Davis took third in his age group with a vault just about an inch shy of his personal best, achieved at his peak last season.
Now with just about a month to go before the official track and field season opens in Florida, Niks-Davis is on track to bring home the gold this spring.
“Last year, best year,” he said of his hopes for the upcoming season. Niks-Davis is putting it all in to achieve his goal of an FHSAA gold medal and claiming the school record for himself. His top vault, 13’9.25”, is just over half a foot shy of Zack Lightfoot’s record of 14’6”, but Niks-Davis isn’t aiming at 14’7”. He plans to shatter the record.
“My goal is 16 feet.” he said.
Niks-Davis and the rest of the Keys athletes participating in track and field will begin official team practices Jan. 29. Meets start Feb. 22, and the state championships, held in Jacksonville at the University of North Florida this year, are set for May 15-18.
