Athletes are finding themselves reaching new heights with PoleFlyers, a club that recently started in Cary. On any given Saturday evening or Sunday morning students ages 14 and up work to perfect their pole-vaulting techniques at Impact Athletics.

“It’s huge,” said Richard Spangler, the club’s founder. “We are the only indoor pole-vaulting facility in the Mid-Atlantic that is not associated with a university.”

Even though they’ve only been vaulting for three weeks, the club already has 14 members. “Mostly it’s kids from Wake County, from 14 years old to our oldest at age 63,” Spangler said.

Not all of the members come to PoleFlyers with experience, Spangler said. “This is such a good sport for gymnasts. They have the natural feeling of the swing which is required to vault. They just get it, and as long as you are safe, super safe, they will excel. Safety is our number one concern.”

Many high schools have an indoor track-and-field season that begins in mid-November. PoleFlyers offers students more opportunities to practice.

“We are very careful about teaching our students slowly. Right now, we are just getting them comfortable. We will get them to their peak around mid-January, because that’s when regionals are.”

This extra practice can help students get college scholarships. “Title 9 requires colleges to give an equal number of scholarships to men and women.

So a good female pole vaulter stands a good chance of getting a scholarship,” Spangler said.

While coaching pole vaulting at Green Hope High, Spangler had two students who received scholarships and are now vaulting in college.

Cassie Crawford, a junior at Panther Creek High School, has been pole vaulting for two years. Spangler brags that she is already clearing 10 feet 6 inches and hopes that she’ll be able to clear 12 feet 6 or even 13 feet by the time she is a senior. That’s high enough for a national ranking.

“I used to do gymnastics, and a friend’s parent suggested I try pole vaulting. So I tried it and it was really fun. I’ve stuck with it,” Crawford said.

“Going to PoleFlyers gives me a lot more practice. Normally, I go out for track and field in the spring and I have to get in shape to do pole vaulting.

But here, I really like it; there aren’t many people so you can get a lot of practice,” Crawford said.

Down the road, Crawford hopes to receive a scholarship to a college where she can pole vault.

PoleFlyers is a nonprofit organization and is a sanctioned U.S. Track and Field club. For information, visit poleflyers.com.