The TAKEOFF Magazine

Shawn Francis Has Something to Say

(And a lot of people are listening)

by Ralph Hardy

Any pole vaulter who has spent more than five minutes on YouTube looking for pole vault videos has likely come across the Team-Hoot vlogs posted by Shawn Francis. Frequently shot in what appears to be his basement, yet cleverly edited and slightly sardonic in tone, Francis actually makes pole vaulting seem, well, cool.

But to his thousands of viewers, the Minnesota state high school pole vault champion, North Dakota State University record holder, and former professional vaulter is more than a talking head who adds some sophomoric humor to their own quixotic pole vaulting exploits. For many he’s a voice of compassion, empathy and encouragement as they grapple with depression and other mental illnesses, and the stigma attached to them. Shawn gets it. And that’s because he has landed in the same pit.

For some, depression feels like being stuck under the deepest ocean; for others, an enveloping fog. The novelist William Styron called it a “storm of murk” that left him in indescribable pain. A noted psychologist calls it a “beast that sits on your shoulder.”

The storm found Shawn when he was in second grade. At the time, childhood depression was poorly understood--and it still is, particularly by the general public. Some children seem to outgrow depression; Shawn didn’t. He missed nearly a year of middle school, a year that included the wrong medication regimen and even hospitalization. When he got out, he made a list of famous people who suffered from depression, a who’s who of artists and intellectuals. Among them, he idolized Robin Williams.

Yet depression took its toll. Shawn lost friends and was often ridiculed. He was told that depression was “just a choice,” whereas, in fact, there was a strong genetic component to it. Shawn wrestled with it through high school and into college. Anti-depressants helped, although he once, ill-advisedly went off his meds due to collegiate drug testing. “That was a mistake,” he says, grinning now. But depression is a wily foe; it returns when you aren’t looking. The stress of graduate school even led to an outpatient hospitalization. Robin William’s death by suicide was another blow, as it was for millions.

Whether the blame lies with the cell phone, social media, economic disparities, or something else, social scientists agree on one thing: youth suicide was already at a record high before the pandemic — with increases among teens every year from 2007 to 2017, and it is the second-leading cause of death among high-school-aged students. And this was before they began to experience the crushing weight of the Covid-19 shutdowns.

A survey of high school students found that approximately 68 percent of teens reported feelings of moderate or severe anxiety and depression, and that their physical activity levels were 50 percent lower than before the epidemic. Moreover, playing sports is a vital outlet for many teens, and not just those seeking athletic scholarships. Whether it’s football, ultimate frisbee, or myriad other sports, the social benefit of forming bonds with like-minded peers provides a sense of identity, belonging, and structure for hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country. But with schools and athletics programs shut down for nearly a year, many of these teens have lost their anchor, their sense of purpose and the warm glow of accomplishment that accompanies most sports and may be hard to find in the classroom, virtual or not. It’s no wonder there is a national mental health crisis.

Enter a slender, slightly goofy Minnesotan with a Yankees baseball cap and a disarming ability to seem as if he’s speaking directly to you through his video camera.

Looking for an outlet to discuss the sport he had dedicated his life to, Shawn began vlogging in 2012, slowly building a following of dedicated viewers to his Team Hoot Pole Vault channel. Holding a masters degree in biomechanics, he discussed vaulting technique, the geometry of the swing, the physics behind pole flex, and finished each video with coaching suggestions for young vaulters who sent in videos of their own jumps. But it wasn’t until November 2014 that Shawn opened up on camera about his battles with depression. After he posted that video, he didn’t look at his comments for five days, fearing that he had shared too much. When he finally did, he was astounded. There was a community of vaulters and other athletes out there who were fighting the same battle. He wasn’t alone. They needed him. In fact, they needed each other.

There’s nothing intrinsic about pole vaulting that leads to depression or anxiety, although Shawn does think the sport draws certain personality types.

“It’s an individual sport that always ends with three Xs next to your name,” he says, laughing. “Negative thoughts can easily overwhelm an athlete staring up at an absurdly high bar 30 meters down the runway.”

Shawn’s ended his own nascent professional pole vault career after the daily grind of training, travel, and competition with little renumeration wore him down. All those X’s take a toll.

But mental health issues are sometimes hard to see; coaches don’t often notice them, and until recently, did not know to ask. That may be changing, thanks to athletes like Shawn and others who use their social media platforms to share their struggles. Just last year world champion sprinter Noah Lyles opened up about his own battles with depression, shocking many of his fans who revel in his ebullient persona.

Depression and anxiety aren’t the only mental health issues he encounters through his social media, according to Francis. Body image issues play a major role in contributing to depression and anxiety, particularly for athletic teenage girls. An obsession with weight and body shape can lead to disordered eating, as at least one female professional vaulter has attested. He scoffs at the practice followed in many states where high school pole vaulters have to announce their weight in front of judges in order to justify their pole choice.

“A pole that’s rated too heavy is just as dangerous as one that’s too flexy,” he notes. Even the pros are not immune. Track and field reporters often list professional female pole vaulters’ weight after their names, but never mention weight with regard to male vaulters.

Shawn Francis

Married now, and living in southern Minnesota, the entrepreneurial Francis vlogs, coaches online, serves as a volunteer vault coach at nearby Carlton College, and until the pandemic, kept up a busy appearance schedule at clinics and camps. He’s also written a book with an accompanying video series called The Pole Vault Toolbox. A skydiver and allaround daredevil, Shawn feels that “life begins at the edge of the comfort zone,” so he pushes himself to be open and honest about his struggles. Every Monday on Instagram he posts a Mental Health Monday story, creating more safe spaces for athletes to talk. He wants athletes to know it does get better. Although not always curable, depression is treatable; the darkness will lift, the beast will retreat. Whether you get help from a therapist, a school counselor, a coach, a physician, or a pole vaulter from Minnesota, there is always reason for hope and a path forward. As Styron wrote when his depression lifted, “And so we came forth, and once again beheld the stars.”

If you need help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273- TALK (8255). You can also text a crisis counselor at 741741.

Follow Shawn on Instagram @shawndangerhoot.

All photos provided by Shawn Francis.