Junior Adam Beckman won first place in pole vault at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) District 2 State Track Meet, hosted by Hingham High School, on May 29 with a jump of 11’ 6”.

How did it feel to win first place at the state meet?

“I was a little shocked because I didn’t expect to win. Originally, I went [to the meet] just to have fun, but I became state champion and I was happy about that.’

How did you train throughout the season?

“I just practiced a lot. I go to this place called Patriot Pole Vault quite often, and obviously I practice at Algonquin as well.”

What were some challenges you faced during the meets or while training?

“For training, I would say the challenge is that you can never be consistent, so I sometimes have bad days, and the good days don’t always happen. Sometimes you have a bad jump, or I’ve had jumps where I didn’t even land on the mat because my jump was so bad. In meets, I think the challenging part is that mentally, you might be unprepared because you only have three chances to clear [the bar].”

What was your main motivation to dedicate time and effort into this event?

“I just enjoy pole vault. There are a lot of aspects to it, like the bending of the pole and going into the air. It’s fun.”

What are your goals for the future with pole vault?

“I plan to do it more, especially during the summer. Hopefully pretty often. I also want to prepare to jump even higher next spring.”