Lost and Found: Gymnast finds love for pole vault

Being injured and unable to continue a sport is devastating, but senior Isabelle Beaudoin dealt with her situation as well as she could. Beaudoin faced many gymnastics-related injuries and had to leave her long-loved sport in search of something less risky. Beaudoin did gymnastics for about ten years, from the age of five to 15, so making this decision was very stressful.

“Leaving gymnastics was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” Beaudoin said. “That was what my life had always revolved around and so it was hard adjusting to a life without gymnastics.”

Although Beaudoin loved gymnastics, she was constantly injuring herself. During the last three years of her gymnastics career, she broke her knee, shattered her hand and was in a wheelchair because she broke both feet at the same time. Beaudoin’s parents grew increasingly concerned with her well-being and her mother Laura Beaudoin encouraged her to try something new.

“We were a bit sad watching Isabelle leave the sport she had been in since a child because we enjoyed watching and supporting her throughout her gymnastics career,” Laura Beaudoin said. “However, we were overall relieved [with her decision] because she was continuing to severely injure herself and it was difficult as parents to see that.”

Beaudoin’s situation only brought about the beginning of pole vaulting, a new sport for her.

“I joined pole vault at the end of my sophomore year when I was 15,” Beaudoin said. “Many factors played a part in my decision to become a pole vaulter, but the main reasons were encouragement from my parents, and the fact that some of the former gymnasts I trained with continued on to be successful pole vaulters.”

In Beaudoin’s case, support and guidance from her parents was one of the main components driving her to try pole vault.

“We were actually the ones who encouraged her to join pole vault, so we were very happy that she stuck with the sport,” Laura Beaudoin said. “She is a very athletic and competitive person, so we were happy that she found a safer sport with fewer injuries.”

Subsequent to joining the team, Beaudoin quickly formed close bonds and friendships with the other pole vaulters, such as junior Alexa Sutter.

“Although [it is saddening] that Isabelle was not able to [continue with] gymnastics due to her injuries, I am really glad that she chose to try pole vaulting because she is one of the best pole vaulters on our team,” Sutter said.

Beaudoin was able to adapt quickly to pole vaulting and she saw that it was similar to gymnastics in multiple ways.

“I really like [pole vaulting] because it is challenging and pretty similar to gymnastics,” Beaudoin said. “In pole vault, we run down a runway and jump, similar to [the] vault in gymnastics. We also swing up and around the pole, similar to some skills we do on the uneven bars in gymnastics.”

While Beaudoin will always remember her gymnastics days, she is able to see some positive outcome from her injuries, as it led to her discovery and newfound love for pole vaulting.

“I do miss gymnastics, especially my team and being able to do all the crazy skills I used to do,” Beaudoin said. “I will always love and support the sport, but I am also grateful and appreciative that this [ending] gave me the opportunity to try something new.”

As for her future in pole vaulting, Beaudoin is still undecided. She is currently being recruited by colleges, but has not decided whether she will continue to compete or not. Beaudoin is hesitant with her decision because she wants to wait and see what schools she gets into academically and whether or not she would want to participate in their pole vaulting team. She is also wary of committing to pole vaulting in college because she plans to major in biology and on a pre-med track, which will be very time-consuming.

“Due to my interests, I do not think I will have enough time dedicated to pole vaulting in college,” Isabelle said. “However, regardless of my future [decisions], I am so happy I got to experience pole vaulting in high school and meet so many wonderful teammates and friends through [the] pole vault [program].”