When it comes to jumping backwards over a high bar, junior Leah Pullins excels. Pullins is an exemplary high jumper on the Shadow Ridge Track Team. She started track in her freshman year and ran the 400 and 800, but she felt that these events just weren’t for her. Then she discovered the high jump event.
The high jump is a track event where athletes attempt to jump unaided over a horizontal bar without dislodging it. The bar is placed at different measured heights, and it continues to get higher and higher. The athlete with the highest jump wins. Pullins began high jump when she was in 9th grade after she had tried other track events, and has been in high jump ever since. She has competed for two years and this year will be her third.
Pullins said, “I knew I wanted to do track, and I thought high jump would be the best fit for me.”
Currently, Pullins holds the record for the second highest jump overall in Shadow Ridge history for the high jump. Her record, and personal best, is 5 feet. Her highlight of her high jump career is getting her personal record (PR). In her freshman year, Pullins’ PR was 4 ‘4’’. Then during her first meet of her sophomore year she jumped 4 ‘6’’, and the very next meet after that she jumped 5 feet, which is her personal record.
Pullins loves the atmosphere and unity of all of the people on the track team.
“Everyone on the track team is so supportive,” Pullins states. “I have incredible coaches and teammates that have helped me so much and are the reason why I have been able to keep working towards getting better.”
Pullins strives to get stronger and better every day. She trains every day at practice during the track season, which is January to May. During the off season she does weight lifting both during and outside of school. This keeps her fit and strong so that she can make those high jumps.
One of Pullins’ teammates is senior Lauren Flagg, and she loves what Pullins brings to the team.
“Leah Pullins is the most resilient person I know, considering she PRed with an injury. She spreads her positivity throughout the whole team,” Flagg says.
Pullins will continue high jump throughout her high school career, and if given the opportunity, she would love to keep it up after she graduates.
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