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On a balmy Friday afternoon on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University, Williams had just cleared 10-feet on the pole vault, sealing her long-awaited state championship. With nothing to lose and only an inch from the state record, Williams took another turn, sailing over her mark with ease.
This could’ve been the classic go-out-in-style signature, but Williams still had something left in the tank. Her last meet was no place to get conservative so she went up five more inches, wanting to cement the record for more than just a year or so. No problem. Williams cleared 10’6”. The perfect ending, right?
Having given 11-feet a pretty good ride before, Williams lined up for one last spring into the history books. Only this time was a bit different. Using a different pole than what she was accustomed to, Williams went for 10’9”, streaking down the runway to her fate. In the blink of an eye, something didn’t go exactly right and the end result went totally wrong as Williams clipped the bar and landed awkwardly, hyper-extending her right knee.
“I had so much adrenaline I was crashing through the pole I was using,” Williams said. “I was bending it so much it wasn’t throwing me so they gave me a stiffer pole to try. I guess I kind of freaked out at the top and didn’t do what I normally do. That’s how I got hurt.
“It was hard to be down about getting injured when I won the meet and held the state record.”
One of the proudest moments a track athlete can experience is going up the podium and receiving a hard-earned medal. Told not to walk or put any weight on her knee for that matter, Williams needed some help. In stepped two of her teammates, Krystin Pullara and Ana Elswick, who came over and carried the hobbled champion to the podium where she assumed the place as the top 2-A pole vaulter in the state.
“I have really good teammates that care a lot about me,” said Williams. “I felt really happy and all excited. It was a really good feeling being lifted up there, and my teammates were all encouraging and would do anything for me.”
Sporting more innate talent than experience, Williams only got into the sport in the ninth grade with no real expectations, as cheerleading was her top priority. As her career progressed, injuries seemed to always derail her come tournament time. Even though the injury bug bit her one final time in high school, Williams was able to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She plans on continuing her pole vault career in college.
“The thing that I surprise myself with is that I only do [pole vault] a few months a year,” Williams said. “My main thing is cheerleading and I do that all year long. I only practice track when outdoor season comes. I have been injured the past two years and haven’t really been able to do my best. I really want to do it in college so I can focus on it more.”
Past injuries could have lured Williams away from pole-vaulting all together. No athlete likes to battle and battle only to continually get knocked down. William’s perseverance and inner fortitude paid off last Friday. Whether or not her record stands for one or a 100 years, her story of rising to the top of her sport amongst great adversity will always have a special place in Ledford’s lore.
Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 233, or at eliotduke@hotmail.com.