Larissa Birtch University of Windsor

By Leah Deforest Granger

Resiliency describes Larissa Birtch’s path to earning a spot on Canada’s University of Windsor track and field team. Larissa began pole vaulting in August of 2020, going into 10th grade. It was not an easy time to maintain training, let alone begin the sport.

Before COVID-19, Larissa was a gymnast and was looking for a new sport when things started to reopen the summer of 2020. She tried pole vault at London Western Track Club in her hometown of London, Ontario. With her gymnastics background, Larissa picked up vaulting with ease, but one month in, the pandemic forced the club to shut down again.

Larissa got creative with ways to stay in shape, including doing app-run workouts in her basement and virtual gym classes with her school. Although isolated, she was intentional about taking care of her mental and physical health, staying connected with her friends over Facetime, and keeping up with her schoolwork virtually.

Since her club is on the Western University campus, the COVID rules were strict. They moved all their gear to an ice rink where they had more liberty with their decisions over whether to hold practices. Larissa joked this was a “very Canadian” thing to do. The mats, raised runway, and poles all made it to the new location. Even at the rink, they had to shut down on and off over the following months. Larissa says “it would open back up and we would all get back to where we were before, and then we would get shut down again. Basically, that was our whole first indoor experience.”

During the summer of 2021, the club vaulters went to a high school to do drills with poles on the grass. In order to vault they had to drive an hour to one of the university coach’s backyard pits. That year there was no indoor competition season. 2022 was Larissa’s first full season vaulting.

With so few opportunities to compete, it is not easy adjusting to a competition environment. Larissa remarks, “I have struggled with the mental side of it, like overthinking once the bar goes up.” However, she is developing coping mechanisms including listening to music with her teammates and focusing on the sim- ple cue “punch the sky” to keep her mind calm.

The difficult start to her career meant Larissa did not see vaulting in university as a possibility. Her high school guidance counselor mentioned the idea her senior year. To her counselor she replied, “I feel like I need to continue this, it just makes me so happy.” With that spark, she reached out to schools she was interested in through the Canadian recruiting portal. She was drawn to the programs at New Brunswick and the University of Windsor.

Larissa’s club coach, Rachael Wolfs, an alumna of Windsor, encouraged Larissa to visit the school and meet her former coach, Kevin DiNardo. Rachael initially went to Windsor for hurdles and only began vaulting once she was there. It is difficult to be both a stellar athlete and an influential coach, but Rachael naturally fills both roles. Larissa comments, “She doesn’t just care about the sport, she also cares about us all individually.” Rachel creates individualized workouts for the athletes, including strength programs to use outside of practice.

Larissa trusted Rachael’s recommendation of Windsor, visited the school, and practiced with the team. It was a perfect fit, and Larissa officially signed with them.

There are other aspects of pole vaulting in Canada that are more difficult than in the United States. The cold weather means indoor facilities are a must. Due to the steep price of these facilities, they are few and far between. If you do not join club vaulting, chances are you will never have the option to try the sport. Those who do manage to excel, tend to leave Canada for the U.S., where there is easier access and more support for the athletes.

Larissa challenges her limitations and goes beyond what is expected from her on the track. She is motivated by sheer love for the sport. Rachel describes her as “hard working and driven. Every day she wants to be better.” Larissa had a new personal best this February, and she feels optimistic a new height is on the horizon. Rachel agrees, saying “She has been getting stronger. She might not see it, but I do.”