Julia Fixsen, Mounds View High School Class of 2019
Personal Records:
Pole Vault 13' 6.5"
High Jump 5' 8"
100 Meter Hurdles 15.44
300m Hurdles: 47.43  sec
200m split: 27.37
MSHSL State Appearances:
2015 - 9th Pole Vault
2016 - 2nd Pole Vault, 2nd High Jump, Academic All State
2017 - 1st Pole Vault, DNS High Jump, Academic All State
National Appearances:
2016 - USATF Outdoor Junior Nationals - 6th
2017 - USATF Outdoor Junior Nationals - DNS
2018 - New Balance Indoor Nationals - 2nd
Where were you born and how did you get started in Track & Field?
I live in Shoreview, Minnesota, and I am the youngest of three girls. My two older sisters, Olivia and Sophie, were both very athletic and participated in volleyball, basketball and track in high school. My oldest sister currently competes for Winona State as a heptathlete. I however, started down a different path. At 9 years old I was inspired by Shawn Johnson's Olympic Gold performance and I started gymnastics. In Level 6 at eleven years old I was the MN State Beam Champion. I had big goals to compete at an elite level and I never stopped dreaming about the Olympics. But that all ended as I was working on my Level 9 skills.
What caused you to take up the Pole Vault and give up Gymnastics?
Over my gymnastics career I had suffered many injuries.  From fractured bones to sprained ankles, stitches, and concussions, I persevered through it all.  The beginning of the end however, came with my third concussion and news that I had stage 2 degeneration in my spine.
My parents did not want to risk a potential future of chronic pain for me and decided to end my gymnastics career. This completely crushed me. I was devastated. My parents insisted that gymnasts made really good pole vaulters. But I resisted because I could only think about gymnastics. I thought I wouldn't be good at any other sport.
After a lot of badgering from my parents to try track as an 8th grader I found out my neighbor Hannah Van Beusekom was joining so I finally relented.  Hannah nudged me into doing pole vault the first day. I was very hesitant at first but to my surprise, I absolutely loved it! And it's gone up from there (quite literally).
What are your goal setting techniques and what do you do for the mental training? Where did you get the mental training and how do you know it works?
Pole vaulting, like any other sport, requires speed, strength, and technical expertise. However, I believe there is another part to it that is crucial to getting to the next level; mental training. You could be the strongest, most athletic person in the world, but if you don't work on your mental aptitude, you'll have a tough time getting to where you want to be.
Focus, discipline, remaining calm, and unwavering confidence play a vital role in allowing a pole vaulter to excel. I work very hard on and off season to improve my speed, strength and technical expertise. However, I put as much investment into the mental game.
My daily routine consists of a lot of visualization and speaking positively out loud to myself. I will close my eyes and not only see myself getting over a bar but I try to physically feel the motions I'm doing inside my head. I watch a lot of elite pole vaulters on YouTube, repeatedly breaking down their technique until it's burned into my mind. During a meet I have discovered how to maintain focus while also having fun. This helps me to remain calm, relieve pressure, and allow my muscle memory to take over.
What do you do besides sports?  GPA, clubs, academics (NHS), jobs, etc.
If I were to say pole vaulting is my life, I would be lying. Pole vaulting is a part of who I am and what I love to do but it does not define who I really am as a person. My value has always been rooted upon Jesus Christ and that is where it will always remain.
I have many hobbies consisting of creating art, speaking French, planting sustainable food gardens, hanging with my friends, and growing in my faith. I'm also a member of NHS and enjoy various forms of volunteering.
I plan on pursuing a major in Agriculture Communications and possibly minoring in French. My hopes and dreams outside of pole vault consist of traveling to French speaking third-world countries teaching people how to grow their own food sustainably.
Do you have any Technical tips about the Pole Vault that you can share?
Pole vaulting is a very technical sport that has tons of variables and elements that are vital to jumping high heights. It is easy to get caught up in all your mistakes and wanting to fix them all at once. This can get extremely overwhelming and can make you feel like you are not getting anywhere and can end up hurting you rather than helping you get to your goals.
That's why when I'm training or competing, I like to keep things simple for myself. It is super important to surround yourself with coaches that understand and know how to break down the technical aspects into manageable, bite size pieces. Trust your coaches and trust the process. Mastering pole vault does not happen overnight. It is a long term commitment.
Who are your coaches?
I have been fortunate to have coaches that are passionate about pole vault and really care about their athletes. Matt & Esther Fleigle, former vaulters, have a keen understanding of the technicalities of pole vault. They also understand me and how I learn best.
They have done a masterful job of teaching me the building blocks of vaulting over the past 3 years. We have a great give and take relationship. They give me instruction on how to make corrections while also taking into consideration how I felt during the vault. I have deep respect for them and I know that they care deeply about me. They have become like family.
You have some pretty incredible experiences already in your track career. Is there a recent highlight that stand out to you?
Last year three of my neighbors and close childhood friends were also All State in Track and Field. Hannah Van Beusekom, Emma Bangert, and Josh Sampson. Truly amazing as three of us live on the same block on Snail Lake. Some say there is something in the water. I say there is something in the fabric of the character of our families.
