ST. PAUL, Minn. - These days, the term "collegiate athlete" conjures up thoughts of specialized training, high-caliber instruction, decades of work and a focus solely on sport. But for Concordia University track & field athlete Jayme Wyss, the road to college competition has taken a vastly different path. Starting her pole vaulting career with self-instruction her senior season of high school, Jayme has since walked onto the Golden Bear squad and just last weekend broke the Concordia record in the event, putting up the 10th best national mark of the season. The fifth year senior is just two inches from provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Jayme has also found time to get married, wrap up a Director of Christian Education Certification degree and work part-time for a church in Woodbury.
WATCH WYSS'S RECORD-SETTING VAULT ON THE "CONCORDIA POLE VAULT" FACEBOOK PAGE!
Wyss’s story as a track & field athlete began in the small town of Deer Park, Wisconsin, a self-proclaimed village with a population just over 200 people. Back when she was referred to by her maiden name of Anderson, Jayme had her interest in pole vaulting spurred by an older sister who competed at Wisconsin-River Falls. Despite her fascination, there were no opportunities for Jayme to be trained at Clear Lake High School, which did not have a vaulting pit or equipment. But instead of choosing the alternative of giving up on the sport her senior season, Jayme got her hands on some vaulting apparatus and a training video and started her career in her own backyard.
“I figured this was my last chance to try pole vaulting and there was talk of my high school getting equipment by the end of the year, so I wanted to get a head start,” explained Wyss. “I went in the yard and dug a hole in the ground, used some twine to vault over. It was rather amusing,” she says as she looks back on her early days.
Although her high school never actually landed the equipment, Jayme would not be deterred. Her homefront training paid off and she competed in a number of meets. Wyss showed enough skill to win her league title as a senior with a best mark of 8 feet, 3 inches.
When it came time to decide on a college, Jayme’s first priority was finding a school that fit her academic interests. She settled on the Concordia network and its major in Director of Christian Education, finding her way to the St. Paul campus because of its proximity to home. A lifelong sport enthusiast, Jayme wanted to continue participating in sports and explored her options. Several discussions with Concordia track & field coach Jarred Sampson landed Jayme on the Golden Bear roster as a walk-on and gave her a chance to receive formal training for the first time.
“It was so exciting to have all of the equipment and to have a coach working with me. My first year, I went 9 feet, 8 inches, about a foot and a half improvement!”
Jayme has continued her training throughout her college years, stepping outside of the typical circle of athletes to gain the support of those in her educational realm. She reached another turning point in her life and athletic career during her senior year of college, marrying her hometown hubby, Andy, and reaching the internship portion of her education. A year-long mandatory internship took Jayme out of eligible competition on the Concordia track & field team, but her resilience and love for the sport continued to show.
Jayme took it upon herself to continue her pole vault training during her internship at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Elk River, returning again to the days of self-training. Currently living in New Brighton, Wyss was able to use the athletic facilities at Bethel University and make her way to Concordia once a week for occasional work at the Gangelhoff Center. She competed unattached during the 2009 season.
With her internship completed, Jayme is back on the active CU roster for a final year of eligibility. Her hard work and persistence in overcoming unusual obstacles has paid off with an inking in the CU record book. At the Northwest Open on the campus of the University of Minnesota on January 9, Jayme set a new Golden Bear pole vault record with a mark of 11 feet, 3.75 inches. This is the third best mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and 10th best mark in tha nation this season.
“It was amazing, I’ve been on a high for a long time,” says Wyss of her record-setting performance. “It took five years, but I finally broke 11 feet, which has been a goal of mine.”
Jayme has been working on a new approach in technique and form with coach Phil Erickson and has time left to reach a new goal that has been set, putting up an NCAA provisional mark. An increase of just over two inches in her personal record would put her in the running to compete at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Jayme has a chance this weekend to reach her new goal, competing again in the fieldhouse at the U of M.
The outdoor season will also give Wyss a chance to compete in her once-unlikely standout sport before she completes her time at Concordia and moves onto tackling new obstacles. With many question marks surrounding the future of her part-time job working for a congregation in Woodbury, the chance that she could be called and be uprooted to a wholly new church and location, and her husband’s marketing job ending this spring, Wyss will undoubtedly use the determination and problem-solving skills she has applied to her pole vaulting career to make the rest of her life a success.
Written by: Melissa Wolf
