A big reason?
Sean Nickell and Shandellah Martin.
Nickell, a senior pole vaulter, is currently ranked No. 1 in 1A/2A/3A in North Carolina while Martin, a junior, is the top ranked in shot put among 1A/2A/3A schools.
Earlier this month, Nickell qualified for the Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston, Mass. March 12-14.
Next week, he’s headed to Reno, Nev. with his family for the National Pole Vault Summit, three days of training and competition with some of the best in the country in the sport.
Nickell said he tries to vault every day. He has a pit set up at his home and often works with his brother, also an avid vaulter.
“I sign up for every meet I can,” Nickell said. “That’s all I can think about. You have to be really dedicated and try hard at it or you won’t go far.”
As a junior, Nickell won the outdoor state championship at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, clearing 13 feet, which now serves as his starting height.
He is shooting much higher these days.
“My goal is to set the conference record in outdoor at 16 feet, but that’s a while away,” Nickell said. “Right now I want to clear 15-6 at Reno. I’ve already jumped 14-6. On Saturday I jumped 15 (feet) five times in a row. That’s at my house though, so it doesn’t count. (The Nike Indoor Nationals) is going to be crazy. I want to place in the top three. 16 feet won it last year so I think I have a pretty good chance. Winning would be great too. It would be amazing.”
He started vaulting under the encouragement of coach Mike Williams.
“I always did gymnastics and tumbling. Coach Williams said I should pole vault,” Nickell said. “I started my sophomore year and I wasn’t very good. The highest I cleared was about 11 feet and that was by luck. Then I fell in love with it. My junior year I came back and my highest jump that season was 13 (feet), which I won state with.”
In early January, Nickell cleared 14 feet, six inches at a meet in Illinois to qualify for the Nike Indoor Nationals.
Williams and fellow track coach Rodney King have both come away impressed.
“Sean does very well in clutch situations ... I’ve said he has ice in his veins,” Williams said. “Sean is consistent between 14 and 14-6 in practice. He is constantly working to go up on longer, stronger poles and he is really doing a good job. He’s really worked to understand the technique of pole vaulting and is a good example on the field.”
Coach King added: “His siblings are pole vaulters. He’s a hard worker. He’s obsessed with it. I was the same way when I was running track with the 400 meters and high jump. That’s all I wanted to do. I studied it and studied it. That’s what he does. He’s doing great.”
All that extra preparation has proven to be well worth it for Nickell — and has without a doubt gotten the attention of the bigger schools in indoor track, where 1A, 2A and 3A schools compete against each other.
His coaches have noticed as well.
“For a 1A to come in and do what he’s doing, there’s only been one other 1A person, a runner from Polk, actually a senior, who’s blazing through,” King said. “One out of every 10-15 years you’ll see a 1A that’s able to beat the 1A/2A/3A people. Sean has actually beaten 4A people at Chapel Hill a week ago. Then he goes up to Chicago and vaults a 14-6 or 14-8 and qualifies for the Nike Indoor Nationals which I don’t know of a 1A person that’s done that. The first from our school that will be competing in that, up in Boston.”
Martin has been just as tough in the shot put in the last year — and she is improving dramatically as well.
“She’s probably ranked in top 5-8 in the state right now,” King said. “That’s 1A/2A/3A too. We have an indoor record. Every throw she’s had in competition, she’s been resetting that record. She goes down to the Durham Striders Invitational and finishes fourth. The people in front of her were 4A people. Not all the people were there that’s going to be at the state meet, but that sets her up pretty good, so we are real proud of her. She works real hard too.”
Williams can vouch for Martin’s work ethic as well.
“Shandellah is a natural athlete. She works hard when she is here,” he said. “She’s very easy to coach, pleasurable to coach and she always has a smile at some point in time during the day. The sky is the limit for her. We look for her to break the school record.”
That school record is currently held Martin’s cousin, Janet Clark back in 1989, a distance of 36 feet eight inches.
A sign posted on the field house at North Stokes lists a whole slew of track and cross country records.
Martin, who got into shot put in seventh grade, said it’s time for the record to fall.
“Coach Williams has really helped me a lot,” Martin said.
“I’m hoping to break the outdoor record of a 38-8 and get my name up there. With his help I’m going to guarantee that I can get it. I just have to do all the stuff I’ve been doing.
“My cousin has done it before ... I told her I was going to break it.”
Martin won a gold medal at the Class 1A outdoor track championships last spring as well.
“She won the state meet as a sophomore,” Williams said. “I’m not sure how long it’s been since we had that happen. She’s getting better with each day she’s out here.”
Nickell has drawn attention from UNC-Wilmington and Western Carolina University already and has considered Appalachian State University as well. He has gotten help from coach Bradley Hicks and now works with Eric Ferrell, whom King referred to as a pole vault guru.
What does Nickell love most about the sport?
“Everything really,” Nickell said. “The whole concept of being shot straight up in the air and over a bar is just awesome. It’s like an adrenaline rush every jump ... I love it.”
Martin’s motivation is simple.
“Always first never less,” she said. “Most of all Mr. Williams tells me to be an athlete and have fun.”
King dubbed the two as “lively.”
“They keep us laughing,” he said. “They are characters, good characters. Good all around student athletes.”
With these two Vikings leading the way, the big schools have to look over their shoulders.
“It’s always good when a school of our size can take some athletes and compete with the larger schools,” Williams said. “We have some really good kids who can specialize in these field events.”
Added King: “We usually finish middle of the pack. Now we’ve got 3A schools seeing North Stokes. They know who we are in shot put and pole vault.”
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