Sophomore Jared Schipper, a finance major, broke Hillsdale’s pole-vaulting record, a record he already held, with a jump of 5.15 meters on Friday night. Schipper was named GLIAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
You were just named GLIAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week and are now ranked fourth in Division II. What’s your reaction?
I was actually really shocked. I had no idea. I was like, “Really, me? That’s awesome.” It’s really exciting. Hopefully I can do well in the NCAAs. I got second last year indoor, so I’m hoping to get first and improve on that, but it’s going to be hard, because the field has gotten a lot stronger this year. I think last year two people reached the auto-qualifying mark, and this year five people have already done it, so it’s definitely a lot stronger year, so hopefully I’ll do well again. I’ve improved a ton myself, so I’ll see.
You just beat the school’s pole-vaulting record — one you already held — clearing 5.15 meters. What does the rest of the season look like for you? Can you beat the record again?
I’m confident I can improve on it again. I actually almost cleared the next height, so I think I can get it. I just need a good jump and I’ll get it. I’m just one good jump away.
How did you find your niche in pole vaulting?
Well, a lot of my brothers do it, so I just took after them. My brothers were really good, so I kind of wanted to be like them. I first started track in eighth grade.
What’s the camaraderie of the track team like?
I love the track team. I think we’re a really good team. I get along with everybody on the track team really well, they’re my best friends. Everybody’s really supporting. Everybody’s really happy when I do well, even the other pole vaulters. We’re really competitive with each other, but also super excited when the other pole vaulters — Luke Miller and Matt Harris — do well. I also have a really good relationship with Coach Towne. We joke around a lot in practice, but keep a good level of focus at the same time. He knows a lot about pole vaulting and has definitely surprised me a lot. I had a great coach in high school and he had told me, odds are, you’re going to have a bad coach in college. Then I got here and I was pleasantly surprised by Coach Towne.
What do you wish people knew about pole vaulting?
I think a lot of people think that pole vaulting is all about having a super strong upper body. But right now the world record holder is an average-looking guy and he’s really short too. It really just comes down to knowing what you’re doing — having a super good reaction time and just lots of practice. Any person could pole vault, it’s not like you have to be super skinny or super strong, you just have to find the type of form that works for you.
How have you improved since the beginning of this season?
At the beginning of the year I fell a lot, I would get rejected by the pole, which is where you don’t have enough power to get into the pit so it just shoots you back onto the runway. Fortunately I fixed that, so I’m landing in the pit again.
Where do you see yourself going as an athlete in the next two years?
I just hope to keep improving, I’d like to get five meters, five-and-a-half meters, that would be my goal, because then I’d be better than my brother, who went to Notre Dame. That would be awesome, since he’s a lot better than me.
