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Last year was historic for Pine Island's Jarod White. He became just the third boy in Minnesota high school history to clear the bar in the pole vault at 16' 0" or higher when he vaulted exactly 16 feet at the MSHSL Section 1A track and field finals.
Rankings: Top Boys T&F Returners | Top Girls T&F Returners
The best part? Last year he was only a junior, so as a senior he has an opportunity to break the state record in the pole vault, and leave his mark in Minnesota track and field history.
We at Minnesota MileSplit recently caught up with Jarod to talk about the upcoming track and field season, potentially breaking the state record, and what the future holds for him.
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The last track and field season for you was historic and record-breaking, how do you plan to one-up your junior season?
I just hope to keep improving and work hard. I really want to break the all-time pole vault record at 16'1.75" especially and want to break the 5-meter mark.
Related: Pine Island Pole Vaulter Jarod White Soaring to New Heights
With your current PR of 16' 0" in the pole vault, you are only 2 inches away from holding the state record in the pole vault. Do you think you will be able to break that record this season?
I am excited to try my best and if I am able to continue as I have throughout my career I should be able to, but you never know.
When do you think you might be able to set the record?
I am hoping to try and break it somewhat early in the season, but I didn't really start to pop off until the end of the season at sub-sections, sections, and state last year.
Outside of Minnesota, do you have any goals to compete in national meets?
My main goals right now are for senior year, but after and in college I really would like to compete at the Olympic trials. I don't really care how I do there, but it would be awesome to compete with/against the greats.
You recently committed to NDSU, how did you come to that decision? and what do you want to accomplish while at NDSU?
I chose NDSU because I believe that it is a great school with a great coach to help me improve in my future. I feel like I could see myself there and that is what sold me. Something I would like to accomplish there is to continue improving and maybe set the school record there.
Related: Class of 2022: MinnesotaTrack/XC College Commitment Hub
What has your training been like to prepare for the track season?
I have been doing a lot of lifting in the winter and have been trying to pole vault once a week at an indoor place in the cities.
Outside of the pole vault, you are an excellent sprinter also. What kind of goals do you have for your sprints this year?
I have improved every season so I expect myself to improve again. I am being a bit ambitious with my sprinting goals but I would like to run a sub 11 seconds 100m, low 22 seconds in the 200m, and run close to 50 seconds in the 400m. These are ambitious goals but I hope to work hard enough to achieve them!
Other than your own teammates, who are some of your favorite athletes to compete against?
I feel like my favorite athletes to compete against come and go in waves. Many have graduated and moved on like Kyler Bade from PEM and Dylan Olive from Byron. I also have had a lot of friends that I pole vaulter with from the cities, but they are all in AA so I don't see them much. Two athletes that I like to compete against that will be returning are RJ Sylak from Zumbrota-Mazzepa and Jett Thoreson from Saint Charles.
What has been your favorite moment of your high school track and field career so far?
I think my favorite moment of my track and field career was probably my 15' 10" jump at sub-sections because I jumped over 15' a total of 4 times finishing on a make. It was overall just a super fun experience and I got so many congratulations and hugs!
Tell me one bizarre fact about yourself.