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Center Grove pole vaulter Taylor Jarosinski nearly won State in 2019 as a sophomore in just her third year competing competitively in the sport. The senior had to wait two long years for her last chance to win it all after last season was canceled due to the pandemic. Winning two Regional, Sectional, County and Conference titles, Jarosinski vaulted a school-record 13-feet to win the 2021 pole vault State Championship in her final track and field meet as a Trojan.
“Knowing I had won at state was a feeling that I had been waiting for since my sophomore year,” Jarosinski says. “Being so close to the win in 2019 left me incredibly hungry. To win my senior year made the wait so worth it. I am so proud to have been a part of the CG team and program. To be able to cap off my high school career exactly how I wanted to was something that was so special and that I will never forget. It is, of course, bittersweet to know that it was my last time competing for CG and with my teammates and coaches I have been so close with for the last four years, but it was certainly the way that I had hoped to go out.”
Being sidelined last season due to the pandemic did not derail Jarosinski’s vision of winning a state title.
“I was truly the most motivated I have ever been upon hearing the news of the season being canceled,” Jarosinski says. “I had had a great indoor season and hit a PR (personal record) over the summer that had me very excited to compete my junior season. When I heard the news, I did everything I could to keep this momentum despite not being able to train. I did workouts in my house and outside over lockdown and stayed motivated by challenging myself to make sure that when I could get back to jumping I would be ready to go after taking my own time to better myself. Once I could finally jump at club over the summer this motivation allowed me to come back and continue jumping and making progress in the way that I had hoped for.”
Jarosinski credits all of her coaches and teammates for pushing her to improve every day. However, she says her biggest cheerleaders and supporters are her parents, Kate and Steve.
“They always have supported me in every pursuit I have been interested in,” says the state champion pole vaulter. “They have been at every meet to support me, cheer me on, and show me love regardless of the outcome of the meet. They have never put pressure on me to clear a certain height or win a certain meet, but instead are there to be supportive and teach me that my value is not in me winning or losing, but my character and the work I put into my sport and life. They have made me who I am today and invested into me as a person, which I do believe carries over into track and the accomplishments I have had.”
CGHS girls pole vault coach Alex Basham says Jarosinski is a true student of the sport.
“She studies her jumps, her peers’ jumps, collegiate jumps and professional jumps,” Basham says. “She asks higher level questions to achieve a greater depth of knowledge. She reads articles, follows the best and dives into books. Taylor works hard before, during and after the season. She jumps in the off-season to maintain and push her skills.”
She is not only an excellent student of pole vaulting, she also excels in academics, graduating 15th in her class with a 4.62 Grade Point Average. She will attend Indiana University on a full-ride athletic scholarship, with plans to study Kinesiology and then attend Physical Therapy School.
“It has been a joy to watch Taylor compete during her high school career,” says CGHS Principal Jeff Henderson. “She is an incredibly disciplined student-athlete who maintains incredibly high academic standards, along with her outstanding achievements as a pole vaulter. While it was a shame that she was unable to compete during her junior year due to COVID-19, she continued to train and work toward the goal of winning a State Championship during her senior year. Not only was she able to achieve that, while setting a school record, she also finished high school being recognized as a National Merit Finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and ranked 15th in her graduating class. She is a shining example of a student-athlete.”
“It was special to see her finally achieve what she’s worked so hard for,” Basham says. “You could see the pure joy and excitement in her face. She made it. She officially became the best after two years. I’m proud of her beyond the heights she has cleared. She is a poised, well spoken, dedicated, resilient, and smart young woman. As great as she is in pole vault, she is an even better person.”
