It Must Run in the Family
For Immediate Release
Date: January 20, 2016
Contact: Levi Gribas (208) 220-9604
E-mail: media@simplotgames.com
It Must Run in the Family
McWhorter family travels all the way to Simplot to Pole Vault
Pocatello, Idaho- The McWhorter family lives for pole vaulting.
Rick McWhorter, was a pole vaulter at BYU in the early 1990’s, and now his two children carry on the tradition. This February, they will travel from Springdale, Arkansas, to Pocatello, and try to take home medals.
McWhorter now owns a pole vaulting club, X-Gravity, and the McWhorter kids compete all over the country in different competitions, but have never competed at Simplot Games.
“We have always wanted to come, and I told my son that if he jumped high enough we would make the trip.” McWhorter said, “The big competitions like Simplot are where these athletes learn the ultimate discipline. They help them overall early in their careers.”
McWhorter’s son, Zach was introduced to pole vaulting in the 7th grade. He is now a high school senior, and hopes to break the current Simplot record of 17’ 6-1/4 ¼“. In his junior season, Zach cleared 17’ 2”, which was the highest in the United States for his age group. In 2016, he won gold at the Junior Olympics and placed first in the 2016 Indoor National Championships. After high school Zach will serve an LDS mission and return to compete for BYU just like his father.
McWhorter’s daughter, Charlotte, will also be pole-vaulting. Her personal indoor pole vault record is 8’ 6”. She took first at last year’s state meet and looks to continue a successful career through high school as she is part of the 2019 graduating class.
The McWhorter family is excited to attend Simplot Games because it is a competetive and premier event in the West. They also have family in Idaho, and are excited to compete in front of them. McWhorter competed in Holt Arena numerous times, and said his best jump cleared 17’ 9”.
“Holt Arena has always been my favorite place to compete,” McWhorter said. “The noise of the crowd in the dome was great.”
Look for Zach in Saturday’s boys pole vault finals at 8:30 a.m., and Charlotte in the girls finals at 1:15 p.m.
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