A run, a leap and an assisted jump with a pole characterize the track and field sport of pole vaulting. Senior Packy Durkin is in his fourth year as a vaulting athlete at DGS. He was inspired by watching other vaulters during a meet and determined to join the team himself after discovering the sport that best fit him.

Durkin currently holds two school vaulting records, as displayed in the DGS field house above the entrance. In his sophomore year, he broke both the indoor and outdoor records for the junior varsity levels.

“I broke [the] indoor one at 12 feet, 11 inches earlier in the season. I kind of got stuck for a bit, and then I was able to beat it. Outdoor, I broke at 12 feet, 8 inches,” Durkin said.

Science teacher and track and field coach Sean Senf has been working with Durkin since his freshman year, noting that Durkin found his element toward the end of that year. Senf believes that Durkin is determined to his sport and attempting more difficult heights.

“To tackle an event like pole vault, you have to be a pretty motivated person because when you’re first learning it, the results don’t come fast. He went from being an eight-foot, maybe a nine-foot, but there was one practice where he jumped over 10 feet, and I was like ‘hey, that’s a difference there.’ I remember he started to figure out how to bend the poles, so I think at the moment it kind of clicked, and he was like all in,” Senf said.

Both Durkin and Senf recognize the importance of equipment in pole vaulting. Having access to the right poles in terms of the athlete’s weight and the length of the pole are essential for success. After years of training and attempting new challenging heights, Durkin doesn’t wish to stop there.

“I do want to break both records this year for varsity. The indoor one is 14 feet, 4 inches, so above that one. And the outdoor is 13 feet, 9 inches, which is easier, and I probably could get it pretty easily. My bigger focus is beating the indoor one because it’s more of a challenge,” Durkin said.

Senf sees a broken school record as a possibility for Durkin, and would like to see Durkin work toward a goal that he believes he can achieve through his dedication.

“That’s going to be up to him, when he certainly puts in all the work. I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks the school record; I think we have the right equipment for him this year to do that. I don’t like to push those kinds of goals; I don’t like chasing numbers. I like chasing the process, and he definitely chases the process,” Senf said.