On Saturday, Coppell senior pole vaulter Skyler Schuller won gold at the Class 6A State Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, after earning silver medals the past two years. 

“I went into the meet knowing that there was a possibility of winning if I was able to perform really, really well, but it can be difficult to perform under pressure,” Schuller said. “I went in knowing that I needed to do the best I possibly could and I jumped really well.”

According to Schuller, the athletes were originally supposed to compete at 1 p.m., but were delayed due to inclement weather. 

“The rain made it really difficult because we didn’t know if we were going to jump that day or if we were going to jump at midnight,” Schuller said. “The tape where I grip the top of my pole was wet, so we had to frantically take it all off and retape it before I competed, which also added to the stress.” 

But despite all the obstacles, Schuller remained undeterred in her path to success. 

Schuller missed her first attempt at 12 feet, 6 inches but was able to clear it on her second. Afterwards, she cleared 13 feet and 13 feet and three inches on her first attempts. 

According to Schuller, three of the athletes were able to clear 13 feet, 3 inches, but only Schuller  was able to clear 13 feet, 6 inches. Even after Schuller recognized that she had already won with her clearance of 13 feet, 6 inches, she attempted to clear 13 feet, 10 inches but was unable to. 

“This whole season has been really fun,” Schuller said. “Pole vault has been my best event and the one that I have enjoyed the most. Every practice has been fun and I have been improving, and I kind of knew that it was all leading up to this moment. So I have been waiting all season and trying to not let myself hope too much for a gold because, of course, I didn’t want to end on a loss and feel really disappointed. But I couldn’t think of a better way to end the season.”

In addition to the end of the season, Saturday marked the end of Schuller’s high school track career. 

“I’m really proud of the legacy I left at Coppell.” Schuller said. “I feel like I have achieved everything that I wanted to in high school, and I hope that I can be sort of a role model for incoming athletes. Hopefully the records that I set get broken, maybe even by my younger sister, incoming freshman Mia Schuller, but I really just hope to have people follow in my footsteps and achieve success as well.”

As the curtains close on Schuller’s high school career, new doors open and opportunities arise as she will continue competing in track and field next year at Stanford University. 

“It gives me a lot of confidence and it makes me excited to compete at the next level, especially when I’ll be around so much good competition and coaching,” Schuller said. “I can’t wait to see how this will help me improve and what heights I will be able to reach.”

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