Vaulting from athlete to coach Fore’s passion for pole vaulting inspires journey in the sport

By Alexandra Dassopoulos | Staff Writer

Pole vaulting pictures fill the walls Dr. Jen Fore’s office. As this photographic timeline illustrates, the chemistry teacher and coach has experienced the evolution of women’s pole vaulting and seen its growth firsthand.

Fore began training in the sport in 2002, her sophomore year of high school and just two years after pole vault became an Olympic sport for women. Yet her fervor for the sport didn’t fully develop until she began coaching.

“I don’t know if I was truly passionate about it in college and in high school. It was just something fun to do – I was fast and having fun,” Fore said. “I think the passion actually came later when I came to Hockaday, because I realized we didn’t have it here. All the other SPC schools were pole vaulting, so I started the program and it’s grown ever since then.”

Not only did her fire truly kindle for pole vaulting when she started the program at Hockaday, but Fore also began vaulting again as a coach.

“I think because I started vaulting again too, that was just kind of the extra fire that came into it,” Fore said. “So I actually ended up doing my personal best at age 32: 11 feet, 1 inch.”

With pole vaulting, Fore also has discovered how to coach athletes about fear, an aspect elemental to this particular sport.

“I think specifically with pole vault, it’s like you’re dealing with fear,” Fore said. “On the coaching side, it’s me helping someone overcome that fear: what’s causing it and then get them to pass that so they can jump – either jump again or jump higher. So I’ve kind of learned how to be like a little bit of a sports psychologist with that side.”

Now experienced with how to aid with the psychological side of pole vaulting, Fore first learned how to be a coach through the club Texas Express, thanks to Coach La’Boris Bean. Nine years later, Fore is on the staff as a coach.

Transitioning into her new role, Fore’s initial experiences at Texas Express were about establishing a coach’s eye and learning strategic methods to help athletes execute motions properly.