The Lincoln School's Aislinn Mumford had a solid season this spring in the pole vault. She finished third at the Schomp Invitaional and won her specialty at the Cumberland Invitational where she achieved her all-time best of 9-6. She was also sixth at the State Meet.
Salute to Seniors: Aislinn Mumford
Q. What was your most memorable performance?
A. My most memorable performance was junior
varsity states in 2014. I unexpectedly jumped a personal record in the Pole
Vault, which at that time was 7'6, and came in third place. JV states was the
meet that first allowed me to see the fun in competing, and cemented my resolve
to continue with the sport. It was more impactful than coming in second in the
Indoor State meet this winter, or winning my Division and Class championships
this past spring.
Q. What was your most difficult
obstacle to overcome?
A. I tend to overthink and, as a result, would often get in my own way. When I overthought my jumps, I lost confidence and would not take off correctly, if at all. To overcome this, I needed to learn to trust in my own ability and regain self-assurance.
Q. What advice would you give
to younger athletes?
A. I would tell younger athletes not to be
discouraged if they have a few less than perfect performances in a row. Events
like the pole vault are unpredictable, but good meets will always balance out
the bad ones.
Q. What will you miss most?
A. I will definitely miss the friends that I have
made through vaulting. I have enjoyed getting to know my fellow vaulters and
feeling like part of a team.
Q. What are your future plans?
A. I plan to continue track and field next year at
Trinity College Dublin.
Q. What influence has your
coach (or coaches) had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
A. I like this question, but it is a
hard one for me to answer. As my coach is also my father, he has definitely had
influence on my performance and life goals. I loved being coached by my dad
because I was able to get to know him as a coach while we spent time together.
Q. Who would you like to say
Thank You to?
A. I would definitely like to say thank you to my coach for encouraging me to try my hardest and find the joy in the sport. I would also like to say thank you to Steven and Jimmy Strawderman and their parents Mark and Colleen Strawderman, Bill Faulk, and Mike Arslanyan.