By Joe Petshow
Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER — Things can occasionally get complicated, maybe a little crazy, in the sport of pole vaulting — and that’s simply in a vaulter’s mind. Never mind wind conditions, temperature, and the nerve-jolting “bang” of nearby starter’s guns.
Francisco Solberg knows firsthand of pole vault mind games that often loom more imposing than the crossbar.
“Pole vaulting is a huge mental game,” said the recent Hood River Valley (HRV) graduate, whose 14-foot personal best clearance (4.27 meters) came May 30 at the OSAA Class 5A state track and field meet. “Just the idea of taking a fiberglass pole, trying to bend it by running full speed, planting it into a box in the ground and using it to jump yourself high is such a hard thing to commit to.
“[It’s] 20% technical skill, 40% physical, and 40% mental. It’s not that much skill, it’s just a lot and a lot of practice, getting a move down and knowing how to do everything at the right time.”
The honor roll student was hooked on the sport early. He remembers the first time he stared down the HRV vault runway during his freshman season.
“My freshman year we had the pit out. It was cold and borderline rainy. I remember I had gloves on my hands; I was fully bundled up,” he said. “I was always able to get into an inversion pretty fast; I built my confidence up.”
Vaulters need to bend the pole to go higher, but that’s easier said than done — especially when hanging on (sometimes, seemingly, for dear life) upside-down. Solberg quickly took a liking to the vault, and after his freshman season, he started vaulting over the summer — much of the time under the ever-watchful eye of HRV Coach Shawn Meyle.
“I love Meyle so much,” Solberg said. “He’s one of the top coaches in Oregon for sure — if not No. 1. He knows so much — as a former vaulter himself — about the sport.
“The time and dedication that Meyle has given to me over the last couple of years has been insane. He was always willing to dedicate his time and his energy to help me improve. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Solberg’s first official clearance in a meet was 9 feet, 6 inches, March 16, 2023, in Beaverton. He finished second to teammate Robert Wood that day. By the end of the season Solberg had won two pole vault events and would finish third at the Northwest Oregon Conference district meet (with a season best of 12-3). He would improve by one foot his sophomore season, when he was fourth in district and eighth in state.
Solberg won the NWOC championship his junior year and again finished eighth at state at Hayward Field. Everything was in place for a stellar senior season — then came the injuries. Footspeed is essential in the pole vault and Solberg’s sprinting background in his lone year of middle school track and field was key to his progression in the sport.
“I felt tightness; it was in our intrasquad meet (March 19),” he remembers.
Tightness (a strain) in his left hamstring led to him favoring that leg, which led to him to slightly straining his right hamstring, as well. Solberg went from a sure placer — and often meet favorite — to enduring day-to-day decisions of whether he could even practice, let alone compete. The athlete who had won 14 times up to that point was relegated to occasionally throwing the discus or shot put in meets and seeing DNS next to his name on the pole vault results.
“Being entered and not being able to compete at any of these meets which I would have normally placed first or in the top three, was really, really hard — and kind of sad,” Solberg said.
Sad for his coach, too. “We weren’t sure if he’d be ready in time to qualify for state,” Meyle said. “He stayed mentally tough throughout the recovery process, earned his way back, and then rose to the occasion by PRing twice at the state meet and clearing 14 feet for second place.
“I was really proud of the way he persevered through the setbacks.”
Solberg said he started to feel his leg was ready at a four-way home meet May 7. “My leg felt great that meet,” he said. He matched his then-personal best that day of 13-6, vaulted a day later at the Dean Nice Invite (12-6) and then started his district meet prep.
He vaulted 13-0.75 at district, finishing second to Canby’s William Doman (one foot PR), and qualified for his third state meet. “I wasn’t expecting too much coming out of district,” he said of his final meet as a prep athlete. “I was really just happy that I made it. My leg wasn’t hurting at the time, as well. I was just happy that I got the chance to compete at Hayward again. I love Hayward Field.
“The season goal was 14 feet. Before state, my last vault practice … that was where I realized I could do this — just had to lock in.”
Solberg got his 14-footer at state, where he was second to Ridgeview’s Jackson Meyer, who cleared 14-2.75 (4.34 meters). The HRV athlete finished his career No. 7 on the Eagles’ all-time pole vault list.
Solberg said there may be more vaulting in his future. He’s committed to the University of Oregon under a human kinesiology and neuroscience dual major — pre-med track. He said there’s a chance he might be able to take classes at UO and nearby Bushnell University, where he could compete in track and field for the Beacons. Or he said he might try to compete for the Oregon Track Club.
“I’d like to continue vaulting,” he said. “It takes a lot of practice, but it’s a lot of fun. I still remember the first time I bent a pole. That was a crazy experience.”
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